Since the moment he took over as Lions coach two years ago, Rod Marinelli has talked of wanting the best defensive line in football. Sunday, you saw why.

Sure, Eli Manning had a coming-of-age game and David Tyree made the catch everyone will remember, but the Giants won Super Bowl XLII because they got to Tom Brady like no team had all season. Justin Tuck had two sacks and forced a fumble, Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora pressured Brady a half-dozen times, even Jay Alford got in the mix with a sack on the final series.

That's why the Lions should target Bengals defensive end Justin Smith when free agency opens next month. Smith is the best pass rusher on the market (assuming Kansas City's Jared Allen and Baltimore's Terrell Suggs are franchised, as expected) and would give the Lions the heat they need opposite Dewayne White.

Smith, who'll turn 29 next season, is coming off the worst statistical season of his career (two sacks) but is far from washed up. A former No. 4 overall pick, he's missed one game in seven years (the first game of his rookie season after a prolonged holdout) and has 43 1/2 career sacks. He'd take over at right end for Kalimba Edwards, who will be cut or traded this offseason, and allow last year's second-round pick Ikaika Alama-Francis to continue his progression as the No. 3 end and nickel tackle.

Marinelli has shown no propensity to target top-of-the-market free agents the last two years. He told me last month he likes guys who are "good people (with) something to prove and they want to keep getting better", a formula that produced White, leading receiver Shaun McDonald and starting guard Edwin Mulitalo last year.

I don't expect that to change this winter with the exception of a possible foray into the running-back market after San Diego's Michael Turner (a highly-coveted runner who actually fits that description as he's been a career backup to LaDainian Tomlinson).

But signing Smith would be a major step towards to solidifying a questionable defensive front. And as the Giants proved and Marinelli preaches, that can take a team a long way.