Lets Give Thanks NFL Style

Ryan Fox

​Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks for what we have and to enjoy one’s company among a feast of a variety of food. It is also synonymous with the good ol’ sport of football. As we get ready to put our turkeys in the oven, crack open a cold one, and prepare ourselves for 3 slipshod games, football fans, players, and even teams should be thankful for a lot of things. Here are a few things people should be thankful for.

​Cowboys fans should be thankful for….getting QB Tony Romo back on the field.

Let’s be honest, if there was a team that needed a boost from an injury return at the quarterback position it was the Cowboys. It took 8 long weeks but Tony Romo was able to get back on the field for the Cowboys after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 2. Afterwards the Cowboys shuffled between backup QBs Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassell. The result was not pretty: 0-3 with Weeden and 0-4 with Cassell.

But now with Tony Romo back on the field, there’s a significant upgrade as well as stability in perhaps the most vital position in football. It showed in a 24-14 win over the Dolphins where Romo threw for over 200 yards and had 2 touchdowns. So Cowboy fans, be thankful your franchise QB is back. After all, he's the only thing that is worth watching in Dallas.

Patriots fans should be thankful for….their team playing in a weak division

 fans,Sorry to burst the Pats fan’s bubble but let’s be frank. The AFC East is the easiest division to win. For the past 5 years, there’s only been just two teams with a record over .500 (2010 New York Jets and the 2014 Buffalo Bills). And guess who is sitting pretty at the top every year: the Patriots. Here are the Pat’s record and divisional record in that same span:

2010: 5-1
2011: 5-1
2012: 6-0
 2013: 4-2
 2014: 4-2

So as much as Pats fans and media want to beat their chests and proclaim their team is #1, take a chill pill and realize your division is mediocre and filled with bumbling fools who can’t even get out of their own way. So Pats fans, be thankful the AFC East is a weak division. Otherwise your little playoff run would have take quiet a few bumps if you played in other divisions.

​Bronco fans should be thankful for....Peyton Mannings' merciful benching

 You can look at this as a cheap shot at Manning if you want but the fact of the matter is that the writing is on the wall for the future Hall-of-Famer. His arm strength and accuracy are not what they appeared to be. In fact, the 4 picks he threw against the Chiefs two weeks ago was essentially the nail in the coffin on what will be Peyton's worse season in his 18-year career. His 17 Interceptions are a league high and his 67.6 QB Rating is a league low among qualifying QBs.

With the injuries are piling up (fingers, shoulder, hammy, foot), it's only a matter of time before the proverbial dam breaks. At the ripe age of 39, Peyton should think about retirement. The benching could be a wakeup call for him that it might be time to hang up the cleats. Sometimes it’s better to walk away under your own accord rather than be carried off the field like the likes of Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Johnny Unitas, and Kurt Warner. So Broncos fans, be thankful you got to see one of the games greatest QBs play for you and that he won't kill himself trying to win more games.

San Diego Chargers fans should be thankful for....Phillip Rivers

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Even Stevie Wonder could see that QB Phillip Rivers is the only thing going for the Chargers this season. In an abysmal 2-8 season, Rivers stats almost MVP vote-worthy:

288 completions (1st among QBs)
420 attempts ( 1st among QBs
68.6 % completion rate (2nd among QBs)
3211 passing yards (2nd among QBs)
321.1 passing yards per game (3rd among QBs)
19 touchdowns (10th among QBs)
98.2 QB Rating (8th among QBs)

He has kept the Chargers competitive pretty much in every game and is doing it without a decent running game, losing two of his top targets (WRs Keenan Allen & Malcolm Floyd), and a defense that pretty much gives up as many points as the offense scores. In what will be one of the franchises’ worst season since they went 1-15 back in 2000, Chargers fans should be thankful that you still have perhaps one of the top 10 QBs in the NFL right now playing on your team.

​Media members should be thankful for....DeflateGate

 Real talk, this was by far one of the dumbest scandal during the Goodell era of the NFL. There were more pressing matters to attend to (i.e. domestic abuse, alcoholism, concussions) but Uncle Roger felt he needed to dedicate time, money, and resources to pursue after a player who had no criminal track record, been a role model/inspirational figure, and has been a diplomat to the game over something as little as air pressure in footballs. This was dragged through nearly 8 months (and is still going on in the appeals courts as you read this) where everybody in the media was covering this, giving their scientific analysis/cold-hard facts, and allowed some radio hosts (looking at you Rich Shertenlieb) the opportunity to railroad and insult the opinions of others. 

Deflategate put a lot of bread on a lot of tables in the media realm. It turned little known Boston sports hacks (Michael Hurley & Jerry Thorton) and turned them into household names, it rallied the Pats fan base to the point where they are so f*****g defensive about their team (they attack a courtroom sketch artist for the drawing Brady in that infamous sketch), and it gave Patriot haters plenty of material that would last even after Brady, Belichick, and Kraft leave the team (Bart Hubbach will still try to dig at the Pats for drafting Hernandez). So to everybody in the media who covered DeflateGate, you should be thankful because it put a nice little chunk of change in your wallets.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette should be thankful for....a loyal fanbase

I know this has nothing to do with the NFL (except for that one time former Giants QB Jessie Palmer was on the Bachelorette). However after hearing it talked about on WBOB’s #1 Sports Show Parente & Pal (6pm-7pm every Tuesdays) by one Michael Parente, yours truly had to include it in the list. This show makes the WWE feel more realistic. The watch-ability is right up their with a Floyd Mayweather fight and those things tank. The candidates are usually selected by the producer in what he/she believes will generate the biggest ratings/buzz for the show. The cruder or the sexier the contest, the longer he or she will stay. Finally in the final round, the fans 'vote' to persuade the bachelor/bachelorette to choose one contestant. In reality, the show producer has already decided who is going to win.

But yet they continue to keep producing more seasons of this show because of their loyal fans (like Mr. Parente) keep tuning in every single time. So the Bachelor/Bachelorette, you should be thankful for your zombie-like yet loyal fanbase.

And I should also be thankful for you the readers for tuning in and reading this article piece. Happy Thanksgiving and try not to each too much turkey. Ja ne!

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