What - Me worry?
So the Giants start off at 3-0 this season and have done it without having a Michael Strahan (retired), a Jeremy Shockey (traded), or an Osi Umenyiora (Injured Reserve). And to keep things interesting for you fans they decided to introduce a degree of difficulty. For this game they took Plaxico Burress off the table. Seattle doesn't have to game plan for the Giants best receiver. We guess there's just no sense walking a tightrope when you can really excite the crowd by doing it blindfolded.

Plaxico Burress - Out for this game.
Plaxico earned himself a one game suspension and loss of one week's salary by not showing up one day after the overtime victory against the Bengals. He also didn't call the Giants trying to reach him. A while back Tom Coughlin benched Plaxico for the first quarter in a game against the Chargers because of a series of late arrivals to team meetings. The Giants lost that game. Now they say it hurts the team when players don't follow the rules and regulations. Still, somehow, I never get the part where it doesn't hurt the team to have all your best available players on the field. Isn't there any other way to handle this? Maybe something somewhere in the Coaching 101 handbook?

Seattle receivers - Back in the game.
Seattle lost wide receiver Logan Payne in a 33-30 overtime loss to San Francisco in game 2. He was put on the injured reserve list with a torn knee ligament (MCL) where he joined other IR wide receivers Nate Burleson (knee) and Ben Obomanu (clavicle). Bobby Engram, who set a Seahawks record with 94 catches last season has been out for seven weeks with a broken right shoulder, but he is back. Deion Branch is a former Super Bowl MVP who is in his third season with Seattle. He injured his knee in the playoffs last season and he is also back for this game. Because of all the injuries, Koren Robinson, Seattle's former No. 1 receiver was reacquired last month and is available for this game. Without these guys Hasselbeck's completion percentage is at a low 48.5.

Giants receivers - Lots to count.
With Plaxico Burress out, there's still Amani Toomer and Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss and rookie Mario Manningham. Domenik Hixon had a great preseason filling in for Burress when he was injured. Steve Smith is getting a lot of tosses from Eli Manning. Manningham has been sick this week so it's hard to say if he'll get in the game before Moss. Sinorice Moss was the only active player not to play in the St. Louis game. There was a rumor that when the Seahawks were recently looking for receivers, Moss's name made it to that list and there was no interest.

Seattle defense.
Seattle has allowed just 88 rushing yards per game which is the ninth-best in the league. Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch, San Francisco's Frank Gore, and St. Louis' Steven Jackson couldn't crack them for a hundred yard game. In fact Lynch did the best against this defense in the opening game, averaging more than four yards a carry. Gore barely crossed 3 and Jackson had less. The Giants rushing attack, led by Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw ranks fourth in the league. Of course it helps if the defense is also concerned about a passing attack, and Eli Manning will have to make that good without Plaxico Burress. The Seattle defense is ranked 25th against the pass, but if they can get away with single pass coverage on Toomer and Hixon, there'll be more pressure on Eli Manning.

Seattle offense.
Matt Hasselbeck is a real good quarterback, and he is of course better with his top receivers on the field. It will be a question of how game-ready Deion Branch and Bobby Engram can be playing for the first time this season. Right now this offense is ranked second in the league in rushing having been forced to stress that part of their game plan and make it work. Julius Jones, a former Dallas Cowboy, was signed as a free agent by the Seahawks and he ran for 127 and 140 yards in their last two games. They are ranked 22nd in passing yards and Tom Coughlin always makes a habit of telling the players that the upcoming team is better than what they have seen. This is one time when they should pay attention because the Seahawks have been playing their games without their best receivers.

Bye Week Blues.
If only the Giants could skip having a bye week. Bye weeks started in 1990. and the Giants hold a 4-15 record in games played after the bye week. The Giants under Tom Coughlin are 1-3 on games played after the bye week. Two losses were to Dallas, one to the Lions and one win over Washington. The Seahawks are 2-7 after their bye week under Mike Holmgren. With an extra week to prepare, you would think the records would be better. It may have all to do with nothing, but then again, the the head coach decides how that long stretch of time is spent. Coughlin likes to spend the bye week analyzing tapes of the previous games, to see what working the best and what's not. By the way, the Giants pre-bye record is 16-4, which is second best in the league.

Giants Kicking.
Kicker Lawrence Tynes is practicing, but he said his knee is still is giving him trouble with some swelling. Meanwhile, John Carney is 9-for-9 on field goals and 8-for-8 on extra points filling in for Tynes.

Mike Holmgren.
He was going to retire after his fifth consecutive winning season ended with a demoralizing 42-20 divisional playoff loss to the Packers in a Green Bay snowstorm. He instead returned for the 2008 season, and then plans to turn over coaching duties to defensive backs coach Jim Mora.

Notes.
Giants Fred Robbins leads the team with 4 sacks.
Giants Justin Tuck has 3 sacks.

Giants last played the Seahawks in Seattle on Sept. 24, 2006, and lost 42-30.
In that game Matt Hasselbeck tied his career high with five touchdown passes.

Giants and Seattle have the two longest playoff streaks in the NFC.
Seahawks have been to five straight postseasons and the Giants three in a row.

Giants and Seattle, starting with this game, face 13 straight before the regular season play ends.

Next Game
Oct. 13 Giants at Cleveland (Mon) 8:30PM.
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