Jeff Riger: This Game Is Here To Stay!
I admit it! I am what some people call a bad Detroiter considering I wanted the NFL to take away the Thanksgiving Day game from the Lions years ago. But can you really blame me? I remember when the game meant something! I remember watching flea flickers and reverses and big wins against the Bills and Patriots that strengthen Detroit's case to make the postseason. I remember Barry and Lomas and Grey and Spielman and the "Turkey Leg" awards that were presented to those guys after a Lions win. I remember the great times of the Thanksgiving Day game...but those days are gone, long gone!
The Lions have not won a Thanksgiving Day game since 2003 when they beat the Packers 22-14. But it is just not the lack of winning, but the lack of competing that is truly bothersome for Lions fans everywhere. Since that '03 win, Detroit has been outscored 258 to 99 and they have failed to hold any team in that span under 27 points. In fact, of the 7 games since '03, the Lions have given up 40 plus points in 3 of them...against the Packers, Titans and Colts. It has been brutal! So why keep the game?
I used to always think, that since every team had to be on national TV at least once a season that Detroit would forever hold onto this game, but I wasn't proud of it. I often felt that the country, on one of the greatest national holidays of the year was seeing our trash, our uncompetitive football team and I was sick of it. It was bad enough that we had to watch, but why make the entire nation watch as well?
But now, the scenario has changed. The Lions are 7-3 and are on the cusp of making the postseason. This Thanksgiving game against the 10-0 Packers feels like the good old days. The game is meaningful again and that feels really good. Tuesday at practice I took the time to ask some of the players about how they felt when people like myself were talking about taking this game away from Detroit?
Kyle Vanden Bosch replied "when this organization was struggling for a number of years, there was talk that maybe we need to get another team involved. But this is the Lions game and now that we are where we are, we want to make sure we represent this city and the team well."
Jim Schwartz said "it's special, when you wake up and downtown they are setting up for the parade, I mean it's not just a normal day. Thanksgiving in Detroit is different than in other cities. We want to respect that tradition and we want to respect it by playing well on Thanksgiving and not have people talk about how come we are continuing a tradition?"
But it was the words of kicker Jason Hanson that resonated the most. "It's understandable (people wanted the game gone), the fans want to see the best teams and when we weren't playing good it was a bummer, it wasn't fun" said Hanson. The kicker then went on to stick up for the game saying "it's always been in Detroit, it's a huge tradition and I think those are important, I think those are some of the things that you don't have to abandon, that's been part of the NFL for seemingly forever. But it's good for us to finally hold up our end and have people say I want to see this game, not only for the Packers, but I want to see the Lions."
And I think Hanson nailed it!
I, like you love the Thanksgiving Day game! But when the tradition turns into an annual rout, then I think it becomes more of an embarrassment then an honor. So now that the Lions have seemed to have got their act together, hopefully things can return to how they used to be....a time when this game meant something much more than just a sold out stadium and a date on national TV.
Beating the undefeated Packers could be next to impossible, however it should be a competitive football game, and that to me is all that it takes to keep this game in Detroit!
