The NFL Detroit Lions: Banned from Thanksgiving?

Every Thanksgiving, people throughout the can count on a few things - great food, quality time with family and friends, and watching the Detroit Lions lose yet another football game. I am a big supporter of tradition and there aren't too many traditions in sports more sacred than the Lions playing on Thanksgiving. This Turkey Day tradition dates all the way back to 1934, when the team was forced to move from Portsmouth to Detroit because of the Great Depression.

Although it will likely never happen, I am motioning that the Lions be taken off the Thanksgiving Day schedule until they can start playing more like an NFL team and less like a Pop Warner football squad. The Detroit Lions currently stand at 2-9 and have assured themselves another losing season, which will be their 6^th sub .500 season in a row. In that same timeframe, the Lions have gone a hapless 1-5 on Thanksgiving. This past week, the Lions hit a new low (even for them) by getting shellacked by the Miami Dolphins and old friend Joey Harrington, 27-10. Moreover, the Lions' PA announcer thought it would be clever to single out the aforementioned Harrington by calling out his name during warm-ups while all the other starters were announced by number only. Harrington had the last laugh though, as he threw three touchdown passes in the victory. Below is a look at the Lions Thanksgiving Day games over the past six seasons:

2006: Dolphins 27 Lions 10

2005: Falcons 27 Lions 7

2004: Colts 41 Lions 9

2003: Lions 22 Packers 14

2002: Patriots 20 Lions 12

2001: Packers 29 Lions 27

By the time Thanksgiving comes around each year, schedule-makers know that the Lions will be well out of the playoff picture. Therefore, they must schedule the Lions against a contending team to keep the ratings high (see the Packers, Patriots, Colts, Falcons, and Dolphins - who despite struggling, were projected to be contenders at the beginning of the season when the schedules were made). As a result, people get to watch the Lions get manhandled by a superior team.

As bad as the Lions have been, I do not foresee them improving much in the near future. The Lions set the franchise back years by using three straight #1 draft picks on wide receivers. Although Roy Williams has turned out to be a stud, Charles Rogers is gone and Mike Williams may not be too far behind. These picks could have been used to sure up a weak offensive line or to strengthen any one of their defensive positions. The Lions also have an aging, inconsistent quarterback in Jon Kitna with no real "quarterback of the future" ready to step in and take his place.

This is why the NFL needs to give the Lions an extended break from Thanksgiving Day football. I am not suggesting that the NFL permanently ban the Lions from Turkey Day, I am just proposing that they give the organization some time off to think about things - a "time-out" or sorts. This may give the Lions some incentive to actually start improving. I feel like the organization threw in the towel on contending for championships a long time ago, and have just banked on the fact that Thanksgiving Day is their "Super Bowl." Once the Lions begin to display some sign of life and improvement, they should be allowed to play again on Thanksgiving Day. Until that point-in-time, which appears to be light-years away, the Lions should remain off of the Turkey Day schedule.

Fast-Forward One Year:

The Detroit Lions are, once again, playing on Thanksgiving Day. People throughout the United States are, once again, watching the Detroit Lions get beat by a contending team. I am, once again, upset that the NFL keeps putting the Lions on.