By Alerfy Martinez

Great teams are defined by great players. But what happens when you lose those start players. The teams that are truly special find ways to win without them. Back-ups don’t necessarily have to perform at a star level, just good enough so they are not recognized as a liability. This is what makes the Giants a great team. Not only have they had guys fill in when key starters are were missing, those players have performed at a high level. From last season’s championship run to this season’s 4-0 start, this has been an essential factor to the Giants’ success.

On Sunday we saw another example of this. Eli Manning’s number one weapon on offense, Plaxico Burress, was suspended for this week’s game against the Seahawks. He was disciplined by the Giants for pulling a no show/no call during the by week like he worked at a McDonald’s restaurant. In his absence there was a question as to who was going to step up this time, and that was answered rather quickly.

Reserve wide-outs Dominic Hixon and Sinorice Moss were certainly up to the task on Sunday. Dominic Hixon alone was able to produce Plaxico like numbers, providing a deep threat on route to a 100 yard, one touchdown day. Moss who was on the verge of being cut by the team at the start of the preseason, was able to snag his first career touchdown catch against the Seahawks. On a day they needed one receiver to fill Plaxico’s shoes, two combined to produce in his absence.

Of course this is nothing new to the Giants, who last season lost starting running back Brandon Jacobs for a length of time only to have Dedrick Ward and Ruben Droughns come up big and play at a high level during his stint on the injury report. They also lost tight end Jeremy Shockey for the entire playoffs only to have Kevin Boss fill that void and make a key catch in the Super Bowl. This year they lost defensive linemen Michael Strahan to retirement and to Osi Umenyiora to an injury, and their pass rush has remained highly effective. As long as they continue to get this kind of production from their role players, the most disrespected Super Bowl Champions of all time will continue to show and prove.