By Max Sass, Sports Editor
Many people associate Thanksgiving with giving thanks. How silly is that? Yes, I am thankful for my family, being healthy and happy and having delicious food on the table, but really Thanksgiving should be associated with football.
It starts early on that Thursday when the NFL games are on, starting at 12:30 or 1:00 P.M. You get to sit around in your khakis and collared shirt and laugh at how pathetic the Lions are while the announcers praise their heart and perseverence. Later, the Cowboys come on and the television guys proceed to beat to death every single Dallas Cowboys related story that you don’t want to hear about any more. This year was special because the Jets were on at night. There is nothing better than collapsing into a lounge chair after eating too much to see Gang Green. First of all, you feel how Rex Ryan must feel every day, plus the Jets have been playing incredibly close games as of late, making them all must-sees.
Really though, Thanksgiving is all about getting back together with friends and playing football. The Turkey Bowl has to be the highlight of the Thanksgiving weekend.
One of the reasons I love the Turkey Bowl is because everybody always has a favorite story about it. Like that one time they broke their leg and kept playing or how they sacked Grandma for the game winning safety or how they intercepted their Aunt for the game sealing pick.
I personally use the Turkey Bowl as a chance to take out a lot of pent up frustration. Is it smart to show up in my Hofstra Football sweatshirt? No, but I still don’t like the flak I take for it. So I do my best Brock Jackolski impression and try to bowl over all the haters.
We played with an offensive and defensive lineman, so as someone who runs away from contact, I was just absolutely thrilled. As if I wasn’t lucky enough to have contact every single play, I was matched up with a kid who used to play offensive line in high school.
This guy went to one of those Catholic, all – boys private schools in New Jersey, you know, St. Fill – in – the – blank Prep or something. As if not playing football anymore wasn’t enough to get him to play hard, I added to the frustration by mentioning how much of an issue I had with those private schools. Seton Hall Prep has scarred me, what can I say?
I decided I was not going to be a glutton for punishment and held back my urge to ask him about the cute girl in his high school math class (oh wait…). Either way, he proceeded to stop my pass rush every single time with perfect form. Yes, he would take his tremendous footwork, set his body and smack his hands into my chest. I had his handprints on my pecs for two days. He hit me in the same place every single time.
Figuring that Dwight Freeney would never get beaten like I was, I changed my strategy. I got another kid to rush with me and I had him go up against our Turkey Bowl’s Jonathan Ogden and I went against the only kid smaller than me.
Despite getting my butt kicked every single play, I had a great time playing and I was able to really enjoy what Thanksgiving is all about, friends, family and especially football.
