Not That Thirsty...

By Kevin Aherne (@KAherne17)

Sundays in the fall. You wake up, roll out of bed, and slide that beat up nylon replica jersey over your shoulders.  You know the one; the numbers have all but washed away, the one with the pizza grease stain on the shoulder. Next is breakfast and coffee, followed by a quick trip to the grocery store; time to stock up on the essentials: chips, beer, and grillable meats. 

Then it is back to the house to fire up the grill, turn on the television, open the laptop, and set your fantasy lineup for the first game of the week...

Wait! What is that!? how am I losing 46-12 already!?

Thursday night Football undermines everything that is great about football. The formula was perfect: 14 games at either 1:00 or 4:00 PM, a key matchup on Sunday Night, and the game of the week for Monday Night Football.  For decades, that system worked, for the teams, fans, and the networks.  But now, there is one game that screws it all up.

Thursday Night Football screws up the  regimented schedule that NFL teams have grown accustomed to.  The teams involved generally have played on Sunday, and now have 3 days (not counting travel) to prepare for their next matchup. Players with mild injuries aren't given enough time to recover, and coaches are ill-prepared for the games.

Thursday night is also bad for the fans.  The games are on a network that many Americans can't even access, and are late at night, lasting until after midnight. The only reason these games exist, is as a money grab from a country obsessed with the sport.  Yes, I will watch it, and yeas I will continue to hate it.

The only time the NFL should ever play on a Thursday... is Thanksgiving.