Weekend review: Thanksgiving would be better without Lions

By Jeff

Just because something is a tradition doesn't mean it should be done forever. My family doesn't really like turkey, so we now have some a different main course on Thanksgiving. The tradition of eating turkey didn't make sense for our family, so we stopped. The same thing needs to happen with the Detroit Lions playing on Thanksgiving.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz doesn't even know
why the Lions still play on Thanksgiving.

The Lions have not had a winning season since 2000 and haven't had 10 or more wins since 1995. The Thanksgiving numbers for the team are even worse. They are 1-10 since 2000, and have been outscored 321 to 159. The past three years have been especially bad with losses of 47-10, 34-12 and 45-24.

Football fans deserve better on Thanksgiving. It's not like the Lions are a popular team across the nation. I'm not sure they're even that popular in Detroit. Why do families across the nation have to sit through these games every year?

At least with the Dallas Cowboys it kind of makes sense for the league. The team is good sometimes and is one of the most popular franchises in professional sports. The Lions are that annoying relative you hope doesn't show to Thanksgiving every year. They don't contribute to the meal, and just show up to bother you with asinine comments or their poor hygiene.

I was out and about this weekend, especially yesterday, so please excuse the poor weekend review below.

• The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-9. So why do T.O. and Ochocinco still have a show?

• Speaking of the Bengals, what was up with Joe Theismann during that game Thursday night? He was playing up the Bengals like they were a dangerous team, all while tearing the New York Jets apart despite their 9-2 record. I'm not Jets fan, but they are winning games. It may not be pretty, but that doesn't matter.

• How the heck did Theismann get another color job? He's terrible. An easy way to figure out if a challenge will be overturned is to see what Theismann says and go the other way. I don't think he's ever got one right.

• Jason Garrett went for it on 4th down instead of kicking a field goal. His team lost by 3.

• Boise State is out of the National Championship debate after an overtime loss to Nevada. BCS critics are going to be pissed when the system actually works out. 

• Pitt really stinks this year, as their embarrassing loss to WVU this weekend showed. At least Dave Wannstadt's players graduate at a rate of 69 percent, which is 5 percent higher than the national average for student athletes. It's reaching, but shouldn't that be more important than wins?

• I only made thatlast point because I went to a school with a tiny football program and the largest crowd at a game was less than 11,000. That was a record. The team stunk for three years, so wins were never really important.

• Sad I missed the dominating three-game stretch the Pittsburgh Penguins put together. Two goals against in three games is very impressive in today's NHL.

• Speaking of impressive, Marc-Andre Fleury is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts. In that time he has a .942 save percentage and 1.75 goals against average. Trade him now when his value is high!

• I was holding up my sarcasm card when I typed that last sentence. 

• Sidney Crosby had hat trick Saturday and now has 40 points on the season. He's on pace for 131 this season. He sucks.

• Alexander Ovechkin has the same number of assists (22) as Crosby. What?

• Missed the Steelers game yesterday as I was driving back from Philadelphia. I have looked at the hit James Harrison was flagged for. I don't think he speared the quarterback. He did hit him with his forehead, but I thought football players were supposed to see what they hit. Maybe I'm just being a homer. 

• Anyone missing Jeff Reid? I didn't think so.

• "The Walking Dead" was pretty slow last night. I don't need blood baths every week, but last night's plot line took 60 minutes for what could have been completed in 20.

John Parr - St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)