NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

During today's news conference with the New York media, Jets coach and Jabba the Hutt impersonator Rex Ryan was asked how he felt about the team being underdogs to the Bengals just days after beating them 37-0.

"I wasn't aware of that," Ryan said "but we should be favorites."

When asked to clarify if he meant the Jets should be favored to beat the Bengals  on Saturday or something more he said, "I mean in the whole tournament."

He went on to tout his team's top-ranked defense and rushing game as reasons for his supreme confidence.

In addition to being 3-point dogs on Saturday, Vegas has the Jets chances of winning the big game at 50-1, the longest odds of the 12 teams in the playoff field.

So not only do the Jets think they'll cruise past the Bengals on Saturday, but the rest of the AFC and the NFC champions.

Two words for Marvin Lewis: bill. board.

Injury Updates

In addition to Chad Ochocinco, who practiced despite a sore knee, the Bengals got four other starters back for practice on Tuesday, three of them defensive starters.

RB Cedric Benson, DT Domata Peko, DE Robert Geathers, and S Chris Crocker all fully participated in practice yesterday indoors at Wall-to-Wall Soccer in Mason, OH.

All four players were held out of last Sunday's drubbing by the Jets to nurse various injuries.

Having Benson back should help the power running game on offense.  Peko is considered their best run-stopping DT, and Geathers brings pass-rushing skills and reliable edge containment responsibility.  The team has probably missed Crocker most of all, as his ability to make run fits and bring help in the passing game has been sorely missed.

The return of these three defenders should help the Bengals slow down the Jets running game.  The Bengals run defense was ghastly last Sunday, allowing a whopping 257 yards on the ground.

Tidbit: Since the start of the season, the Bengal defense has lost the following major contributors/starters to season-ending injured reserve:  DT Pat Sims, DE Antwan Odom, LB Rey Maualuga, and S Roy Williams.

Vanilla Offense?

Chad Ochocinco mentioned in post-game interviews that the Bengals brought a "vanilla" game plan to the Meadowlands last week that resembled "a preseason game."  While Carson Palmer denied the claim, Marvin Lewis was his usual evasive self about it, but seemed to confirm it.

"That really isn't relevant right now at all to the situation," Lewis said.  "We're going to play the Jets on Saturday and what we did or didn't do, it doesn't really matter now. This is the game, it's a playoff game, it's what we all wanted. Here we go."

Whither Zimmer?

Profootballtalk.com reported a rumor that Mike Shanahan is interested in prying defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer from the Bengals to be his coordinator in Washington.  To date, Zimmer has denied that he's been contacted, but has reiterated that he has not been contacted since the bye week about an extension to his contract, which expires in February.

"I've not talked to Mike Shanahan or anyone from the Redskins. It's all rumors and speculation. It's not for me. I promise you it's not for me," Zimmer said.  Also stating, "(The Bengals) can approach me at anytime they want and if they don't want me I'll move on."

The Bengals would be foolish to let Zimmer leave, considering the outstanding work he has done with the defense the last two season.  They will likely allow him to pursue head coaching vacancies, but do their best to keep him on staff rather than allow him to take a lateral move with another team.

Freezer Bowl 2?

The National Weather Service is predicting 18 degrees Fahrenheit for kick-off Saturday, with a windchill factor of 6.

In the wake of the Bill Sheridan firing, I got to thinking that it would be helpful for us to establish an objective benchmark for how the players performed over the course of the season so that we can intelligently talk about changes that need to be made this offseason.

Stats are nice to have to aid to the discussion, so with that in mind I'd like to quickly move through the team starting with the Defense first. Here is a great table from ProFootballFocus — it illustrates very quickly who showed up and who didn't this season.

DEFENSE

Very quickly you realize how valuable Justin Tuck, Terrell Thomas, Danny Clark, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, and Chase Blackburn were to this Giants defense in 2009.  Not enough pressure from the front 7 — agreed. Not like we're used to at all, but Justin Tuck and Terrell Thomas were still the standouts and surprisingly Danny Clark had a very good year when he was in for his 425 snaps.

Bruce Johnson and Antonio Pierce find themselves in the clear as well…. they were the only guys who had a lions share of snaps and didn't royally screw up.  If you look at the 2007 season, this is largely what you find of the players performances — not alot of red, lots of white, and a little green.  That's what won the Superbowl, guys who knew how to show up, do their job, and minimize the mistakes as a team and gut it out.

Now to the bad — from Corey Webster, to Barry Cofield, to Michael Boley, to Dave Tollefson…  nobody measured up in pass rush, coverage, or run stopping abilities. Essentially the majority of the defense is in the red for the Giants, and that needs to be addressed as urgently as anything the coaches will be examining this offseason. Players didn't play, and when they did they made huge mistakes.  Week in and week out, mistakes in the form of missed tackles, blown coverage, mass confusion, hysteria… it got to be pretty pathetic by week 17.

And finally the ugly — and by ugly I mean UUUUUUUUUUGGGLYYYY.

CC Brown and Michael Johnson. We've been over this and over this, and CC Brown largely took the blame for the disgusting play in the secondary and I agree it's as disturbing as anything you will see in your lifetime… but Michael Johnson was twice as bad. And not only was his play absolutely horrible, but he was on the field all the time!! He has the third highest snap count of anyone on the defense at 747 and he was BY FAR THE WORST PLAYER THE GIANTS HAD!!!  How in the world can you explain that?  I can't believe my F$#@ing eyes when I see that kind of stat — I really can't.

Look – I don't have access to in depth footage like the teams do, I don't sit in with the team and analyze film, I don't take part in the coaches conference calls, I don't draw X's and O's with Bill Sheridan — but I do know how to use my ojos and the one thing that was clear all along is that Michael Johnson killed the Giants' secondary this year.   Atleast CC Brown was an excellent in-the-box safety who hits like a truck and can stop the run — atleast he has a redeeming quality to speak of.  It's clear that CC Brown took the bullet, but Johnson sure as shit loaded up the gun.  Need it said another way?  Michael Johnson was the second worst safety in the entire NFL.  Here's proof. (link)

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In effect, less than half the defense played status quo ball… less than a quarter stood out as positives. The majority of the defense was detrimental to production, and more than a third of the unit down right screwed it up.  On a sliding scale, the Giants defense was tragic.  Say what you want about coaching, and we should, but first and foremost a lack of execution would be an understatement for the 2009 Giants Defense.