Mike Tanier over at Football Outsiders recently asked me for some football memories for his Thanksgiving article:
In the early 1980s, Brandon Benson of the Packers Web site Acme Packing Company loved Thanksgiving as much as any football-obsessed preteen carnivore. But as a Packers fan, he has few good football memories about the holiday. "I became a football fan at age 10, in 1980, back when the Packers' annual trip to the Silverdome involved a good beating by the Lions," he told me. "So if the Packers did play on Thanksgiving, they went to Detroit and it was usually an ugly loss. I doubt Eddie Murray ever missed a field goal against the Packers."
Back then, the Lions were pretty good, but the Packers were mired in the epic drought that lasted from Bart Starr to Brett Favre. Benson said the tables didn't really turn until a 1993 Wild Card game. "Since then, I've been usually expecting a win against Detroit, such as the win last in Detroit last Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving games involving the Packers have become a much more welcomed experience."
This year, I'm only going to be allowed to watch football on Thanksgiving if the toddlers are taking a nap. Otherwise, it's all Wall E and Curious George on the TV in my household. But I'm not sure I want to watch either of these games. Watching Detroit play under any circumstances is an endurance test. I'm not a fan of the Cowboys, obviously, so that game doesn't hold a lot of interest either. Especially since Seattle should be easy pickings. What do you think?
