there is speculation the lions could get bumped from their spot on Thanksgiving

[Bugs Bunny wuz here 0]

From KFFL:

 

Lions | Thanksgiving Day tradition in jeopardy?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:43:41 -0800

 

Vartan Kupelian and Mike O'Hara, of the Detroit News, report there has been speculation that the Detroit Lions might not play host to their traditional leadoff Thanksgiving Day game, an annual ritual they founded in 1934. Instead, the team could be moved to a night game, which premiered on the NFL Network last season, and holds a smaller viewing audience. Network officials might prefer a more attractive team than the Lions, who are on a six-year skid, to play in one of the first two games on Thanksgiving.

 

 

i for one applaud this. i know it's a tradition, but the lions haven't lived up to their end of the deal and that's too attractive a spot to be wasted on the cowardly lions year after year.

[Bishop82 61]

So they finally responded to all those letters I've been sending.

[Vikings4ever 497]

They'll still be playing on Thanksgiving.

 

But they'll be playing the night game on the NFL Network.

[FantasyKing 4]

Until a better rivalry begins - every year it should be Indianapolis/New England and Pittsburgh/Dallas.

[Walter34 3]

Until a better rivalry begins - every year it should be Indianapolis/New England and Pittsburgh/Dallas.

 

Pittsburg? That is not a rivalry anymore.

 

Dallas / Philly is much a better rivalry.

[FlaHawker 24]

Until a better rivalry begins - every year it should be Indianapolis/New England and Pittsburgh/Dallas.

 

Pittsburgh sucks; watching them would cause mass vomitting.

[swamp dog 0]

i'd like to see them removed completely from the thanksgiving day games. let some other team play on 4 days rest

[xenophobe 1]

i'd like to see them removed completely from the thanksgiving day games. let some other team play on 4 days rest

 

Playing on Thanksgiving is an advantage for Detroit. They may be playing on four days rest, but so is their opponent, and the Lions have the benefit of being used to the experience by going through it every year. I know Dallas has their short week routine down pat, and I imagine Detroit would as well. Then the following week is like an extra half a bye week for them.

[Chonkyfire 0]

It's about time - when rivalries change, change the holiday game (like the recent Lakers/Heat Xmas matchups.) Only problem is the NFL parity means its fairly possible to have a bad matchup periodically.

[IndyTom 0]

I am probably going to be in the minority here, but I think this stinks.

 

Winning team or not, it was Detroit's idea and tradition, so let them keep it. The NFL gets so blinded by the almighty dollar, than they lose touch with reality.

 

Case in point: Our dome is not allowed to show the Super Bowl because the NFL has rules stipulating that the game can't be shown to mass audiences. Yet - it's the mass audiences that help make the NFL even more popular. Our grocery stores are not allowed to use the words "Super Bowl" in any of their ads either. So they must use phrases like: "Big Game" and "Super Sunday".

 

I understand the economics to it, but they have forgotten where their fan base came from and has grown because of it.

 

I liken this to (hypothetically) some sponsor telling the winner of the Indy 500 that they can't drink milk, because Coke is sponsoring the race.

 

Sometimes traditions should take precedence over making an extra 2% margin on top of the 500% they are already making.

[Belushi 9]

Despite how bad Detroit was this year, it was fun watching Harrington come back to smoke the Lions on Thanksgiving.

 

That could be a new tradition. Having old Lions first-round picks come back to play in Detroit on Thanksgiving. Someone needs to call up Rogers at his job at McDonald's and let him know he's playing next November. Mike Williams can do it the following year.

[listen2me 23 1,586]

I am probably going to be in the minority here, but I think this stinks.

 

Winning team or not, it was Detroit's idea and tradition, so let them keep it. The NFL gets so blinded by the almighty dollar, than they lose touch with reality.

 

Case in point: Our dome is not allowed to show the Super Bowl because the NFL has rules stipulating that the game can't be shown to mass audiences. Yet - it's the mass audiences that help make the NFL even more popular. Our grocery stores are not allowed to use the words "Super Bowl" in any of their ads either. So they must use phrases like: "Big Game" and "Super Sunday".

 

I understand the economics to it, but they have forgotten where their fan base came from and has grown because of it.

 

I liken this to (hypothetically) some sponsor telling the winner of the Indy 500 that they can't drink milk, because Coke is sponsoring the race.

 

Sometimes traditions should take precedence over making an extra 2% margin on top of the 500% they are already making.

 

I agree.....as bad as the Lions are they usually put on a good show on Thanksgiving, it just wouldn't seem right....Id rather watch the better teams on Sundays anyway.

 

Keep it the way it is.

[swamp dog 0]

Despite how bad Detroit was this year, it was fun watching Harrington come back to smoke the Lions on Thanksgiving.

 

That could be a new tradition. Having old Lions first-round picks come back to play in Detroit on Thanksgiving. Someone needs to call up Rogers at his job at McDonald's and let him know he's playing next November. Mike Williams can do it the following year.

 

chuckie rogers has had plenty of time now to catch on with another team. i hope your team signs him

[DankNuggs 305]

I think the tradition should stay. I like watching the Lions on thanksgiving, they are so terrible, i never get the chance to watch them any other time in the season.

 

Because of parity, everything is cyclical, Millen has done as good a job as he can to keep the Lions from following this path, but they'll be back soon enough

 

Keep the tradition

[Mack 1 6]

When the NFL entertained thoughts of pulling the plug on the Thanksgiving game before, Lions' owner Willie Ford Jr. threatened to yank Ford Motor Company advertising from Fox during NFL telecasts. That always got the NFL's attention, and as we can see, it apparently worked.

 

I, for one, wouldn't mind if they moved the game to the evening. And living in Detroit, I can't say I'd miss the tradition of it, since I haven't been to a Thanksgiving day game since, I think, 1978 when they beat the Broncos.

[swamp dog 0]

i really don't care what happens to the lions game on turkey day, but the soap-opera bs the nfl tries to pass off as "rivalry" is ridiculous: owens going back to philly this week! gruden going back to oakland!

 

who gives a fock? save the personal melodrama for the weekday soaps and just show us some good focking football games.

 

all of that said, there is an important place in all professional sports for tradition--unless your name is gary "i'm the stupid focker who will singlehandedly ruin hockey" bettman.

[jeffkomlo 19]

I think the tradition should stay. I like watching the Lions on thanksgiving, they are so terrible, i never get the chance to watch them any other time in the season.

 

Keep the tradition

 

 

Keep the tradition, its one of the only things Lions fans have to look forward to. This gives me the opportunity to take my son to the game and miss the In Law Thanksgiving day dinner drama.

Great tradition - Thanksgiving parade in the morning and game after. Agree that Ford has lot of pull in the NFL community.

[Foghorn Leghorn 0]

When the NFL entertained thoughts of pulling the plug on the Thanksgiving game before, Lions' owner Willie Ford Jr. threatened to yank Ford Motor Company advertising from Fox during NFL telecasts. That always got the NFL's attention, and as we can see, it apparently worked.

 

I, for one, wouldn't mind if they moved the game to the evening. And living in Detroit, I can't say I'd miss the tradition of it, since I haven't been to a Thanksgiving day game since, I think, 1978 when they beat the Broncos.

 

Given Ford Motor Company's financial woes, that threat may not carry much weight for much longer. That being said, I kind of like the tradition of Detroit always hosting the early game. From what I recall, they've been kind of unpredictable too - a crummy performance one year, but world-beaters the next. Or maybe I'm remembering it wrong?

[Phurfur 70]

Until a better rivalry begins - every year it should be Indianapolis/New England and Pittsburgh/Dallas.

 

 

I'm sorry but Dallas does not play Pittsburg every year. But good try!

[teeitupforgolf 0]

I am probably going to be in the minority here, but I think this stinks.

 

Winning team or not, it was Detroit's idea and tradition, so let them keep it. The NFL gets so blinded by the almighty dollar, than they lose touch with reality.

 

Case in point: Our dome is not allowed to show the Super Bowl because the NFL has rules stipulating that the game can't be shown to mass audiences. Yet - it's the mass audiences that help make the NFL even more popular. Our grocery stores are not allowed to use the words "Super Bowl" in any of their ads either. So they must use phrases like: "Big Game" and "Super Sunday".

 

I understand the economics to it, but they have forgotten where their fan base came from and has grown because of it.

 

I liken this to (hypothetically) some sponsor telling the winner of the Indy 500 that they can't drink milk, because Coke is sponsoring the race.

 

Sometimes traditions should take precedence over making an extra 2% margin on top of the 500% they are already making.

 

Yep you are in the minority. They should rotate the Thanksgiving games with the best rivalries that are scheduled each year. But if they decide to keep the lions on thanksgiving than they will hopefully keep them as the first game, that way I don't miss any real football while I'm out deep frying my turkeys.

[donhaas 18]

i'd like to see them removed completely from the thanksgiving day games. let some other team play on 4 days rest

 

 

seems like there would be two teams playing against each other on 4 days rest -- no real advantage or disadvantage

 

Detroit would than have 11 days rest, a nice advantage over the next team they play.

 

 

Regardless, I don't know why they would boot the Lions now.

Next year they're going to be good

[IndyTom 0]

Issue is dead:

 

http://www.mlive.com/lions/weblog/

 

Lions' Thanksgiving Day game isn't going anywhere

Lions fans can relax. The team's traditional Thanksgiving Day game is not going to be taken away and it's not going to be moved from its 12:30 p.m. start time. A recent newspaper story raised the possibility that a move could be made but the same story clearly states that it has NOT been discussed.

 

It might make sense that the league (and its owners) would want a more appealing team in that slot, but the truth of the matter is that it has NOT been discussed in league meetings and it's NOT on the agenda of any further meetings.

 

Based on previous conversations with Bill Ford Jr., he would vehemently fight any attempt to move the game in any fashion. But, again, it has NOT been discussed by the league's owners or officials.

[Flipper 57]

Just watch - they'll yank the game during the same year when Martz's offense explodes ala St. Louis 7-or-so years back - and it will happen without a national audience. Think ahead - schedule an offensive opponent and watch the fireworks! Idiots!

[swamp dog 0]

seems like there would be two teams playing against each other on 4 days rest -- no real advantage or disadvantage

 

Detroit would than have 11 days rest, a nice advantage over the next team they play.

Regardless, I don't know why they would boot the Lions now.

Next year they're going to be good

 

it would only be equal if the opponent had 4 days rest and the lions a week

[Mack 1 6]

Given Ford Motor Company's financial woes, that threat may not carry much weight for much longer.

The NFL doesn't care about the financial woes of their advertisers; Ford Motor Company still has to advertise its products, and what better place to do it than on the broadcast of the most popular sport in the country.

 

Ford was also the first major advertising sponsor of the NFL, so the relationship goes back many decades, and it's a relationship I'm sure the NFL doesn't want to sour.

[santa*69 0]

I agree get Detroit off and Dallas for all I care.

 

Get me the best matchups for that game just like the flex schedule going on late in the year.

 

I want to see some games that matter. I could care less if I see Dallas play give me good games.

 

I want to see Donavan play somebody and pull some other limb out of joint and miss another season.

 

[kutulu 1,564]

Hopefully, this is just the first step to kicking the Lions out of the league.

[My_Dixie_Normus 0]

Sounds like two reporters just stirring the pot so that the Lions might be forced to try and improve.

[Belushi 9]

Hopefully, this is just the first step to kicking the Lions out of the league.

 

The CFL and AFL have already stated that they will not take them. Maybe NFL Europe?

[Groundhog 24]

Until a better rivalry begins - every year it should be Indianapolis/New England and Pittsburgh/Dallas.

 

that would be quite something, especially in the 3 out of 4 years that Pitt and Dallas aren't on each other's schedules. Maybe they could just replay Super Bowl XIII on the Jumbotron.

[IN$TANT REPAY 8]

They'll still be playing on Thanksgiving.

 

But they'll be playing the night game on the NFL Network.

 

 

and they get the Gumbal treatment!

 

 

they will hopefully keep them as the first game, that way I don't miss any real football while I'm out deep frying my turkeys.