| James Morisette. 24th November, 2005 - 2:52 pm
 As picturesque float after picturesque float rolls slowly down Eighth Avenue, past Central Park in Manhattan New York and as millions of stuffing-filled turkeys, honey-baked hams, and spiced pumpkin pies prepare for devouring in American made ovens this Thanksgiving morn, another tradition is preparing to take center stage in Detroit Michigan. This tradition is like none other in the World. It is a tradition that has sparked the excitement of football fans since 1934 when a mortal named G.A. Richards purchased a football team in Portsmouth Ohio and deployed it to the Motor City where it became the Detroit Lions.
Since that blustery day in 1934; a day in which the first year Detroit Lions played George Halas and the World Champion Chicago Bears, football fans around the United States have looked forward to floats, feasting and football on Thanksgiving Day.
Sixty-six years later, the tradition continues as Roy Williams and the Detroit Lions host Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in Detroit.
Although major sports media “experts” around the nation damn this game a “yawner,” local Lion and Falcon fans and followers agree that the implications of this gridiron matchup are enormous for both franchises. Both the Lions and Falcons are desperate for a victory. The Lions, with four wins and six losses, are three games behind the same franchise they first played in 1934. While winning the NFC North seems to be difficult to accomplish at this point in the season, it is crucial the Lions win today to remain in the hunt for a playoff berth.
The same thing applies to the Falcons. Although they have the opposite record of the Lions, Mora and Company have lost two straight games at home and are subsequently looking up the NFC South Division ladder at both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A loss today would not fare well for the Falcons, for if they fall, their hopes of stealing a playoff berth from the Giants (7-3) and Buccaneers (7-3), would take a Ronnie Lott like hit. However, if the Falcons emerge victorious and the Denver Broncos defeat the other Thanksgiving legends – the Dallas Cowboys – in late afternoon football action, things will become a lot more interesting for the Falcons, not just for a playoff berth, but for the NFC Division title as well.
So while picturesque float after picturesque float rolls slowly down Eighth Avenue, past Central Park in Manhattan New York and as millions of stuffing-filled turkeys, honey-baked hams, and spiced pumpkin pies prepare for devouring in American made ovens this Thanksgiving morn, Lion and Falcon players and coaches at Ford Field mentally and physically prepare for perhaps the biggest game of their regular seasons to this point. So be careful not to dose off in the lazy boy after floats and feasting this Thanksgiving, for the football game between the Lions and Falcons, much like the game between the Cowboys and Broncos, is sure to be a barnburner.
James M. Morisette covers the Detroit Lions and Pistons for realgm.com.
He can be reached at jamesmorisette@yahoo.com |
