It's enough to make Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett feel insecure.

"That's Dockett with two T's," he said to a reporter taking notes Monday at the Cardinals practice facility in Tempe. "The only guys you all know in here are on the other side of the ball."

Offense certainly defined the Cardinals' regular season. The team finished second in the NFL in passing yards per game (292.1), third in points per game (26.7), and fourth in total yards (365.8).

But defense has fueled Arizona's deepest playoff run since moving to the Phoenix area in 1988. Through two playoff games, Arizona leads the league in interceptions (seven), sacks (five), and is second in total yards allowed (259.5).

"It's tough to get noticed on this team when you have so many offensive stars," Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. "But I think the defense has finally figured out how to do that. No question, they're the biggest reason we're playing in the NFC championship."

It's a far cry from the Cardinals' regular season performance, in which the unit was ranked 19th overall (16th against the run, 22d against the pass), and finished the season allowing 35 or more points in four of its final six games.

In the Cards' 14th and 15th games, they surrendered a total of 970 yards and 82 points to Minnesota and New England.

"In the New England game we gave up some big plays that allowed them to have big numbers," said defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. "Those two games made [our ranking] slip a little bit."

The Cardinals have always felt they had the personnel to be a dominant defense. Safety Adrian Wilson has played at a Pro Bowl level for several seasons, and fellow defensive backs Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were both highly regarded first-round picks. Linebacker Karlos Dansby has emerged as an impact player, and Dockett made the Pro Bowl last season.

It was consistency that eluded the unit in the two seasons since coach Ken Whisenhunt took over.

"I don't think we've ever had questions that we had guys who could make plays on defense. Where we've had problems is being disciplined," Whisenhunt said. "The big point we've made the last couple weeks is 'You don't have to make a play. If you do your job the plays will come to you.' That's what we've been doing the last couple weeks.

"That's why we've had so many different guys make plays. We've been disciplined and staying in our gaps and using our hands and getting in the right rush lanes."

One defensive unit that has surprised after years of criticism is the secondary. Six of the Cardinals' seven interceptions this postseason have come from that group and anybody who saw Rodgers-Cromartie recover to break up a Jake Delhomme pass intended for Steve Smith in last week's win at Carolina has witnessed the athleticism this unit possesses.

"They threw a little pump fake in the flat on that play and Dominique bit on it at first," cornerback Rod Hood said of Rodgers-Cromartie's highlight play. "But man, you saw how fast he recovered."

Rodgers-Cromartie had an interception, a tipped pass that caused an interception, and four pass breakups against Smith. The rookie also held Carolina's big-play threat without a catch for the first 44 minutes, 8 seconds of the game.

"These last few weeks he's been getting a lot of opportunities to make a play on balls and he's stepping up and doing that," Hood said.

The same can be said of the entire defense. Defensive end Bryan Robinson can't put a finger on why the unit has chosen this time of year to play its best ball.

"You guys [in the media] were saying all that bad stuff about us, but it was all true," he said. "I don't know if we were just sleepwalking toward the playoffs or whether we need people to doubt us. Whatever it was, we found the right motivation at the right time."

In Dockett's case, that motivation came from outside sources.

"I was actually inspired by the Pittsburgh defense and the Ravens defense," he said. "I was watching [the Baltimore game] when Ray Lewis hit somebody on the sideline and I was like 'Oh, man, that team [Tennessee] don't even want to play any more.'

"And the way Pittsburgh went out and dominated the Chargers [Sunday] night, it was all on the defense. Defense has been shining in this year's playoffs so you get inspired by the defenses.

"But it's all about consistency. Philly has one of the top D's in the league for years, so we have to keep proving it. What we've done so far won't mean nothing if we get whupped on Sunday."