This afternoon, the NFL released some key games on the schedule for the 2009 season. The opener on Thursday, September 10th, shapes up to be a great one with the Super Bowl champs hosting the team that had the best record in the NFL last season (Tennessee @ Pittsburgh). The first Monday night game should be fun as well with the T.O. led Bills going into New England. The other two opening weekend games are nothing to get excited about, but I want to take the NFL to task over the horrendous games they have scheduled for Thanksgiving.I realize the Detroit Lions have been a Thanksgiving tradition for years, but don't you think them having an 0-16 record the previous year would be a good time to end it? My family stopped having my grandmother cook the turkey after she became to senile to remember how long the bird had been in the oven (nothing is worse than dry turkey). The Lions' opponent is the Green Bay Packers. How many f'in times do we need to see Green Bay @ Detroit on Thanksgiving? It's getting old! This will be the FOURTH time since 2001 that the Pack and Lions will have met on Turkey Day. I guess you could put anyone against the Lions and it would still stink. I would have to think that the Detroit players would endorse losing the Thanksgiving tradition. At least when you get embarrassed on a Sunday at 1pm, you aren't featured in a stand alone game that the entire nation can laugh/cry/vomit at.
The other matchup on Thanksgiving has the Oakland Raiders headed to Dallas. I would venture to say that these four teams had the lowest combined record the previous year for any Thanksgiving football Thursday. They were a combined 20-44 in 2008 for those who were curious. Only the Cowboys had a winning record, and even they were a major disappointment last year. If anyone lives near NYC or Denver, you will get a decent prime time game in the Giants @ Denver. If you don't, you'll need the NFL Network, and I'm sure more people still have rotary phones than the NFL Network.
So, here's my solution for getting rid of horrible games on Thanksgiving. How about giving the two teams from the previous Super Bowl home games? Then, put a big time team in there against them. Sure the game could end up being a clunker if those teams don't live up to what they did the year prior, but it's just got to be better then the LIONS! We all have stomach aches after over eating every Turkey Day, so why should we have to continue hurling that up watching the inept teams of the NFL?
Pat Morgan
