Giants Complete Hat Trick On D

The Giants have been saying for years, "You can never have enough pass rushers." They said that after drafting Mathias Kiwanuka, so it was assumed they were talking about defensive ends.

Apparently, they now feel you can never have enough pass-rushing tackles, too.

The Giants signed free agent Chris Canty Sunday to a six-year, $42 million contract that includes $17.25 million in guarantees, according to someone informed of the financial terms of the contract who requested anonymity because the details weren't to be discussed publicly. The signing of Canty, 26, made it three free agents in two days for the suddenly aggressive Giants, who signed linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Rocky Bernard on Saturday.

"We had a conviction on who we liked in the free-agent market and who could help us get better," general manager Jerry Reese said in the team's press release. "We let the three players know that, and the feeling was mutual. They want to win, and they wanted to be here. Fortunately we were able to get the deals done quickly."

The 6-7, 304-pound Canty was a defensive end in the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme the past four seasons. He'll now slide to tackle in the Giants' 4-3 front, where the team hopes he will provide a push up the middle and, in some obvious passing situations, off the edge.

"He is a big, strong guy who can play inside on first and second downs and then move outside to end," said coach Tom Coughlin, who called Canty "an outstanding 'get' for the New York Giants."

Canty, a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2005, had 10 sacks in four seasons with the Cowboys, with 6.5 sacks and seven passes defensed in the past two years combined. According to the Cowboys' coaches' stats, Canty had 30 tackles, three sacks and six quarterback pressures in eight career games against the Giants.

But now he'll be playing for the Giants, not against them. The Bronx native has returned home.

"He spent the first 11 years of his life in New York and he still has family here," Coughlin said, "and when we met, he even talked about how special this area still is to him and the feeling he got flying back here."

Said Canty, "I always get excited when I come up here to play."