3 Ways The NFL Could Make Thanksgiving Day Football Better

While Thanksgiving is still six weeks away, it is never too early to start thinking about the turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, and, most importantly, the football. After all, there is nothing more American than eating until you can barely move, stumbling to the sofa and watching football.

But let's be honest, couldn't the NFL do a little better with their Thanksgiving programming? I am all for tradition, however, unless you live in Michigan or Texas, you are probably a little tired of having to watch a Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys game every year.

The last few seasons, the NFL network has provided some break in the monotony by providing a night game. This is a great idea, for those of us that can actually get the NFL Network. Only fans with certain packages can access the network. This prevents a huge number of fans from watching the game.

Considering all of this, I have proposed three ways the NFL can make their Thanksgiving games more appetizing.

1. Make the Thanksgiving game schedule flexible: Each offseason, when the schedule is released have three of the four major networks: CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN pick a marquee game from the Week 12 lineup. This way, the odds are in favor of having a stellar lineup of games for Thanksgiving. Or, even better, you could have the networks wait to pick until later in the season, to ensure the games picked will be marquee for the respective season. The league could even go a step farther and have the fans vote for the Thanksgiving games, when the schedule is released. The two games with the most votes will get to play on turkey day.

2. Make all Thanksgiving games division rivalries: This way the fans are ensured of great games, even if the teams' records are not good that year. How exciting would it be, to watch the Packers vs Bears, Steelers vs Ravens and Cowboys vs Giants all in one day? Sometimes, the fans get lucky and the Lions will play the Bears, or the Cowboys will play the Redskins, but this way, fans are guaranteed some of the great rivalries in NFL history. 

3. Make Thanksgiving games the Hall of Fame Games: Instead of having the first preseason game the Hall of Fame Game, make the Thanksgiving day games the Hall of Fame lineup. Pick two games from the Week 12 schedule, and have them both played at Fawcett Stadium, in Canton. This will give the festivities a tournament feel by having two games in one stadium. On the Wednesday before, or the Friday after, the Hall of Fame nominees would be inducted.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, no matter who is playing, I will be watching. After all, football is football. Not to mention, this year's games are actually pretty good, compared to past years.

The line up looks like this: Saints vs Cowboys, Patriots vs Lions, and Bengals vs Jets. But it seems as though the NFL could work a little harder to make Thanksgiving more entertaining for the fans. If the NFL worked a little harder and got a little more creative, second to the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving could be the most entertaining day on the NFL schedule.