There's no question that I am the biggest New York Giants fan at Maxim HQ. I was cheering on Big Blue through the Dave Brown era, went into seclusion after Kerry Collins' horrid Super Bowl game in '99, and was front and center when the now-retired Michael Strahan said, "New England? We stomped them out!" While the Giants have put together an efficient offense, their defense has shut down opponents en route to a NFC best 7-1 record. I got a chance to talk to one of the team's rising stars on defense, strong safety James Butler (who, oh by the way, has had an interception in the past two victories), about laying out opponents, Tom Coughlin's softer side, and why my diet of Taco Bell and fried lasagna wouldn't make it in the NFL.

In terms of personal satisfaction, what do you look forward to most: laying out a receiver or picking off the quarterback?
I would say a little bit of both. At the beginning of the game, I want to get a big hit. Let them know I'm there. Let them know what kind of game it's going to be. Then after that, I 'd definitely like to keep the interceptions.

You've been in the league for three and a half seasons now. You're the one giving out the hits most of the time, but who's hit you the hardest?
That's a good question. I would say um, the Runyon dude from Philly. He's a big, ol' liner…yeah, Jon Runyon. You know, those liners are big. I try to get out of the way, but he actually caught me one play and I felt myself roll backwards. Don't want to look like that on film, man.

How do you physically get yourself ready for Sunday?
Well, we practice. Physically, we have two hours of practice everyday except for Saturday so you can get rest the day before the game. So basically just get up, eat breakfast, have meetings all day, eat lunch, get ready for practice, and practice is like two hours so, you just get ready for practice, make sure you eat healthy, drink water, and hydrate during meetings. Basically that's the main thing. And after practice I try and get a protein drink or something to help be ready for recovery phase.

Anything different in your training as a safety compared to training for, say, a wide receiver?
Every position is different, so, for me as a safety, I have to deliver more hits than the corners and receivers so I have to have my body sort of like a linebacker as well as a defensive back.

Do you ever hear rumors of how other people in the league train and steal their ideas?
For my three years, I have found something for me that works for me. A lot of guys do different things, like get massages. I try to get two massages: one massage the day after the game, a light massage to get the sores out. I also go to a trainer that helps stretch me out because I'm one of those really tight guys: I pull a lot of hamstrings and different muscles. On Fridays, I get a massage again and get stretched out again. It helps me to be ready for game day and helps my body recover.