Any Giants player studying tape of the Seahawks must dig out clips of last season to truly see what will be out on the field Sunday at Giants Stadium.
That feeble-looking Seattle passing attack figures to look a whole lot different with the return of Deion Branch and Bobby Engram, starting receivers who have not played a single down in the first three games and used their bye week to finally get healthy enough to make their debuts against the Giants.
MORE: Complete Giants Coverage
“Any time you can have those guys back in your lineup, I’m sure the pass will become more of a priority,” cornerback R.W. McQuarters said.
“It’s going to help their offense; we know that,” added Justin Tuck.
Without their two main targets, the Seahawks changed into more of a run-oriented team, rushing 101 times compared with Matt Hasselbeck’s 97 pass attempts.
“I would strive for balance in a perfect world,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said, “but I am always going to do what I think I have to do to move the football.”
Figure moving the football will be made easier with Branch and Engram on the field. Branch is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last January in a playoff loss to the Packers. Short and elusive, Branch is a money player, with 21 receptions in two Super Bowls with the Patriots.
Engram is a possession receiver coming off by far the best season of his career, with 94 catches for 1,147 yards and six touchdowns. He fractured a bone in his shoulder in the preseason opener and hasn’t been in a game since.
No one is happier than Hasselbeck to have the starting receivers back, as the veteran QB was forced to throw to a bunch of unproven players in the first three games.
“I think everyone is excited,” Hasselbeck said. “Engram and Branch both are two leaders of our football team, they are great guys, great teammates and they are really good players. Having them back is definitely a boost for just the confidence and a swagger we have at times had on offense.”
Koren Robinson was re-signed by the Seahawks this season after the injuries hit. He did not play against the Rams because of knee soreness and might make his 2008 debut with the offense this weekend, though he didn’t practice yesterday.
Without Engram and Branch, Hasselbeck scanned the field and threw to journeyman Billy McMullen, who was signed Sept. 10, rookie Michael Bumpus, who was signed Sept. 13 off the practice squad, and veteran Keary Colbert, who arrived Sept. 17 in a trade with the Broncos. Hasselbeck had to lean on a rookie, tight end John Carlson, who leads the team with 12 catches for 168 yards.
It’s no wonder the Seahawks are off to a 1-2 start while averaging 166 rushing yards per game, with Hasselbeck struggling along, completing only 48.5 percent of his passes along with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
“It is good to have them back, so we have our full team and we can kind of put the thing together again,” Holmgren said.
The Giants hope the returning receivers have some rust on them. “They’re back but who knows, they might be just be barely back,” Tuck said.
“We’re not going to come out and say ‘these guys have been out, we’ll lay off of ’em and let ’em get going,’ ” McQuarters said. “No. We want to keep on pushing, pushing right down your throat. You get a man down, kick him. We’re trying to get ’em down. Not necessarily kick ’em, but we want to put them away.”