RENTON, Wash. — Shhhhh. Silence, please. No talking allowed. Not this week. Not against Peyton Manning.

Or else he might hear you. And he’ll take what you say and input it into that computer-like brain he has beneath the Indianapolis Colts helmet. Then he’ll decipher your calls, formulate the perfect audible, make those crazy hand gestures before the snap and throw a game-winning touchdown pass like he has time and time again.

So the Seahawks’ defense will keep the chatter to a minimum Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium and communicate with coded messages and hand signals.

“Peyton Manning presents unique problems in that he is so intelligent and he accumulates so much knowledge throughout a game that the less that we communicate verbally as a defense, the less cues we’ll give him to what we’re doing,” coach Jim Mora said. “A lot of times, in a no-huddle situation, we’ll send a call into Lofa (Tatupu) and he’ll disperse it verbally.

“Well, Peyton is a guy that will hear that and he’ll pick up on it. And we don’t necessarily want to give him a legitimate pre-snap read.”

To combat one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, the Seahawks defense is stealing a tactic used by most quarterbacks and will wear wristbands with formations and schemes.

It’s a new wrinkle and something relatively new for Mora.

“I’ve done it, (but) maybe not to this extent though,” he said. “We’re pretty extensive this week. And I believe we need to be. We need to be with the guy we’re playing against. He’s one of those guys that really nothing gets by him. Nothing.”

In most situations, Tatupu, who’s expected to return at middle linebacker, receives the defensive call from the sideline and shouts instructions to the other linebackers and defensive front.

This week Tatupu will bark out a number, which coordinates to a number and defensive scheme on the wristbands of the rest of the defense.

“There are other quarterbacks that also have a similar grasp for the game, but hey, if they want us to try it, we’ll try it,” Tatupu said. “It’s not our call. It’s coach’s. I just run the plays they give me.

“It’s (different) because you hope they look at the right number. It will be interesting. We’ll see how it works.”

In his 12th season, the three-time NFL MVP, is off to one of the best starts in his career. Through three games, he’s completed 66 of 96 passes (68.8 percent) for 983 yards with seven touchdowns, two interceptions and a 117.7 passer rating.

The Seahawks (1-2) are looking for any advantage, particularly with a defense that’s riddled with injuries to Tatupu (hamstring), cornerbacks Ken Lucas (groin) and Josh Wilson (ankle) and strong safety Jordan Babineaux (neck).

Seahawks secondary assistant Larry Marmie, who was the defensive coordinator at Tennessee during Manning’s freshman season, said Manning had the look of a legend the moment he saw him.

“He just had a certain aura about him,” Marmie said. “When they (offensive linemen) were in there lifting, he wanted to be with them. He won the players over quickly with his personality, his attitude, his work habits, his respect for the upperclassmen.”

Mora knew early on that Manning was special.

Back when he was a defensive backs assistant with the New Orleans Saints, Manning, then a 17-year-old senior at Isidore Newman High in New Orleans, would work out with the Saints quarterbacks during offseason 7-on-7 passing drills.

“Even with (former Saints quarterback) Jim Everett and the talent he had, Peyton was the best quarterback on the field,” Mora said. “You’d go to his high school games and you’d watch him play, and you know that cliché, ’He’s like a man among boys’? It was just that way.”

Injuries

OT Walter Jones will not travel to Indianapolis, QB Matt Hasselbeck is doubtful and CB Josh Wilson is a game-time decision.