http://youtube.com/watch?v=7755vuRLJ-Q?wmode=Opaque
Hopefully you all are with your families today, or with some kind of family, some brothers and sisters adopted for the day. Here at This Given Sunday, we want to give thanks to the community of readers and writers that have come together to talk football and assorted nonsense. (Case in point: the video above, where John Madden and Christopher Walken celebrate the first Thanksgiving.)
Here’s a look at the slate of upcoming games, including picks against the spread.
Green Bay (-6.5) at DETROIT: Lions cover
The Detroit Lions haven’t covered a Thanksgiving spread in five years, including two matchups against the Packers. This year the streak changes, even if the Pack wins the game to keep their undefeated season alive. (Anthony’s game preview says the Green Bay defense is the X factor in this one.) The Packers’ defense has been giving up a ton of yards in the fourth quarter, roughly 20% more than in any other quarter, says SI’s Jim Trotter. That should open the gates for the Lions to keep this one close.
A toast to the Packers in their quest for perfection: May your shoulders be strong and your backs monkey-less. As the Patriots know well, the last one’s the test.
Miami at DALLAS (-7): Cowboys
The Miami Dolphins have been a different team in the month of November, going 3-0 and winning games by a combined score of 86-20. That’s a +66 point differential, which ranks among the best three-game spans by any team this season. But those games came against the Colts, the Chiefs and the suddenly lifeless Bills. Now Miami travels to face a much tougher opponent, and as our game preview suggests, the game will have a much different outcome. The Dolphins may still be competitive, but Rob Ryan’s defense should be able to take away Reggie Bush, and the rest should collapse like a house of cards.
A toast to the Cowboys’ unsung hero, Laurent Robinson: Here’s to humility in the spotlight and thanks to your fans, and may you be grateful you’re not on the Rams.
San Francisco at Baltimore (-3): 49ers Upset
How much do the 49ers love their new coach? The SF Chronicle has a whole section of coverage devoted to the Har-bowl, the first-ever coaching matchup of the brothers Harbaugh. It’s almost a shame that we have to see this family feud at a distance, with each man throwing his team against the other’s. One thinks this could be a lot more fun if these two guys were going head to head, family football style, in jeans on a leaf-filled field. As Anthony points out in his game preview, Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler would be smiling on the sideline of that one.
A toast to the wildcard in this game, Niners’ QB Alex Smith: May each throw find its target and each win won with class. And with each completion may you bury your past.
The TGS Writers Give Thanks
Those few of us with access to computers on the holiday pitched in with a few things that we’re thankful for. Here are the thoughts that are keeping our hearths warm this weekend:
Anthony: I am thankful to be a NFL fan instead of a NBA fan. Our lockout ended in time for the regular season and I get to watch Thanksgiving Day games.
Shane: I’m thankful that fans don’t make final personnel decisions. For those of you that think Tim Tebow is the future in Denver, I want to be clear in strongly disagreeing. For those of you that think mid-season coaching changes come down to the question of “Why not?,” you have to consider other factors like player development, team cohesion, ect. And finally to those
of you that think you could just “do it better,” I say to you good luck. Yeah, I’m thankful that we all have our roles, and it makes me love the game that much more.
Derek: I am thankful for the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. For injecting new blood into the season and reminding us why the NFL actually requires that games be played before crowing a champion.
Will: Like Anthony, I’m thankful that we even have football to talk about. Roger Goodell and Demaurice Smith handled their business with relative professionalism, and the old guard of the NFL’s ownership stood up and moved their side to compromise before all could be lost.
I’m thankful to John Fox for giving up on his principles and starting Tim Tebow, even though he’s exactly the same player he was in Week 1, and will always be. Talking about football is just more fun with Tebow in it.
I’m thankful to Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh for injecting some hot blood into the coaching ranks.
And I’ll be thankful when my Rams finally get their heads out of their asses, but that’s a topic for a later day.
