APB as in All Playoffs Bulletin (NFL)

Anyone out there who knows the whereabouts of the New York Football Giants, please contact RedHouse HQ. There are tens of thousands of New Yorkers looking for those guys.

The other New York football team, the Rexes, er, the Jets, they not only make the postseason, they end up as the No. 5 seed. Weird but true, but Denver’s late-season implosion helped (though it doesn’t figure to do much for Broncos coach Josh McDaniel’s job jitters).

Getting into the Final Six is all that matters. The Jets will have to go on the road this weekend to face the Bengals, but Chad Ocho is Ouch-oh Cinco with a knee problem (he hurt it in warmups Sunday night) and you just have to think Cincy QB Carson Palmer isn’t exactly looking forward to seeing Rex Ryan’s defensive scheme for a second straight week.

It’s no mistake that the Jets DBs are so good; that how Rex’s dad Buddy got the job done with the 1985 Super Bowl Bears, even naming the 46 Defense after one of his safety’s numbers. That would be Doug Plank for those of you trivializing at home.

You have to like the Jets’ chances Saturday, even if they are living and dying with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.  Palmer needs to play to his capability for the Bengals to win, and a New York defense feeling little pressure (now that it made the playoffs) is likely to put some Big Pressure on the Southern Cal QB who preceded Matt Leinart who preceded Sanchez. The weather, which figures to be very un-SoCal-like, is likely to help the D’s and not the QB’s.

What exactly is up with the New Orleans Saints, anyway? Your guess is as good a theirs, losers of the last three after a 13-0 start, including two in the SuperDome, which maybe isn’t the home-dome advantage once thought. It is loud in there, no doubt, but teams feed off other teams winning road games, double no doubt. New Orleans coach Sean Payton has an extra week to figure things out and he is likely secretly thinking, “Not the Packers, please.”

Mike Shanahan coaching the Redskins and Mike Holmgren as Prez of the Browns. The NFL have-nots are almost exciting as the playoff teams. Another have-not with deep football roots, the Bears, will be keeping Lovie Smith (smart) and have already fired O-coordinator Ron Turner to make room (XXL) for Charlie Weiss. Whether that is a smart move, check back after, oh, about a thousand blog entries and 16 football games later.

–Bob Condor, RedHouse