Thanksgiving Feast

Turkey: big day Thursday!

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US-based British sports-writer Simon Veness looks ahead to a Thanksgiving feast - as well as some NFL action

It's that time of year here in the US when the supermarkets are packed to overflowing - and it's definitely a good time NOT to be a turkey.

Thanksgiving is such a big meal (think of our Christmas dinner, then multiply it by about 100), every family needs to stock up with about ten car-loads of shopping and then spend at least two days cooking and preparing.

And then we all collapse in front of the TV for what promises to be about a 10-hour NFL viewing-fest of spectacular proportions. Forget the London Marathon, Le Mans or the IronMan Triathlon, this is what endurance is REALLY all about!

Until about 3.59pm last Sunday, endurance - and suffering - were also high on the list of prerequisites for Detroit fans. But then there was the final minute at Cleveland and a stunning last-second touchdown throw from rookie Matt Stafford that clinched the unlikeliest of 38-37 victories and breathed new life and hope into every Lions follower.

For about the past 10 years (and certainly as long as I can remember from my recent experience of this corner of Michigan, which dates back to 2004), the 'other' big Thanksgiving tradition of Detroit football has been almost as indigestible as some of the meals (i.e. heavy, turgid and, ultimately, highly unappetising).

Years of mis-management and poor performances from their highest-paid 'stars' had left the Lions like toothless, old crones; more mildcat than wildcat, and the stars of their own unofficial version of America's Biggest Losers (a TV weight-watching programme of truly wince-making proportions).

But then came 4pm on Sunday and that one-yard pass from Stafford to Brandon Pettigrew as time expired, and a nation's clamour to have Detroit forcibly removed from their position as prime time Thanksgiving fare was finally muted.

To be fair, that clamour had been building for at least the past six seasons and culminated this time last year when the Lions redefined the word feeble with an utterly miserable effort against Tennessee (in this year's dictionary, next to 'Feeble, (adj.),' it just says, 'Titans 47, Lions 10'). The home team were 35-3 down eight minutes BEFORE half-time and most TV viewers had turned off before Mom had even poured the gravy.

However, since then Detroit have rebuilt and re-tooled under new head coach Jim Schwartz and, while there have still been some distinct growing pains (a 2-8 record to date and three performances where they have failed to improve even on last year's outing against Tennessee), there is now some hope in both their Michigan heartland and the TV control booth.

Starter

No longer do the pundits expect their Thanksgiving 'starter' against Green Bay (live on SS3 from 5.30pm on Thursday) to be a one-sided blowout that will have armchair viewers reaching for the 'off' switch as well as the Rennies.

The Packers themselves have been consistent only in their inconsistency, and they have yet to record three successive wins at any stage this season. In fact, on current form, they are due to enter the 'L' column yet again, as evidenced by:

W-L-W-L-W-W-L-L-W-W...

So, that should certainly be enough to tempt viewers out from behind the back of their sofas, ready to let their TV remotes sit idle for a few hours.

The 'main course' of the Thanksgiving programme sees Oakland travel to Dallas (live on SS3 from 9pm) for another game that could certainly be titled "Anything Goes."

Anyone who has witnessed the star-crossed fortunes of these two franchises in recent weeks could be forgiven for thinking this is a train wreck in the making. At 3-7, the Raiders hardly offer the look of anything substantial, even after axing the maddeningly lackadaisical JaMarcus Russell at quarterback in favour of the 'safe' option of Bruce Gradkowski.

Somehow, the signal caller U-turn turned up trumps in the ambush of Cincinnati last Sunday which left even the seasoned denizens of the Black Hole shaking their heads in disbelief (just 20 points, total, in the previous 119 minutes - a 16-10 defeat by Kansas City, then a 17-10 deficit against the Bengals - and then a winning 10-point burst in the final 60 seconds).

But it has served notice to the Cowboys - hardly the model of consistency themselves - that a genuine battle is on the cards. The pundits here love the thought of Tony Romo going up against Oakland star Nnamdi Asomugha, but Romo himself may not be quite so keen on the strength of the 7th-year cornerback's three interceptions in the past two games and Tony's own recent failings.

True, Dallas have chalked up two wins in their last three to stay out in front of the snapping, scrapping NFC East, but scores of 20-16, 7-17 and 7-6 do not inspire huge dollops of confidence, while Romo's production has declined alarmingly in that period (307, 251 and 158 yards, along with just 3 TDs and 3 INTs).

Game on

It is very much 'Game on' in the new Cowboys Stadium - as it is in the 'dessert' course on Thursday night (actually 12.30am on Friday on SS3), as reeling Denver take on the newly-recharged New York Giants.

After four games of increasingly desperate proportions, Broncos fans could be forgiven for being fairly fatalistic about the impending possibility of loss No 5. But, with the Giants defence doing an increasingly realistic impression of Casualty and power-back Brandon Jacobs also a potential victim, nothing is a given in the rarefied air of Invesco Field at Mile High.

All that Thanksgiving Day gratification just leaves me two quick paragraphs to sum up this Sunday's offerings, as seen through the eyes of the US media.

First off, Indianapolis at Houston (live on SS2 from 5.30pm) is portrayed as a long overdue 'down-to-earth' moment for the Colts, with their increasingly shaky winning resume (the last four by a total of 10 points) and for Matt Schaub v A Very Banged-Up Secondary. The Titans quarterback looks primed for a major offensive explosion, but equally Peyton Manning can toss the occasional TD bomb himself, so stay tuned for a potentially epic duel.

And then there is Chicago at Minnesota (also on SS2 from 9pm), which provides another view of The Sainted One, aka Brett Favre. The former Green Bay legend has turned things up to a remarkable degree, even by his record-setting standards, and the media now hang on his every pass with pure incredulity. A 69.7% completion rate (a full 3.2 points above his previous career best) and a ridiculous TD:INT ratio of 21:3 will do that for you. And that can only be bad news for the Bears.