Thanksgiving Day Jumbo Package and open thread

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Being that this is a holiday, we will keep it short and sweet, a little bit of Crimson Tide news to whet your appetites for the upcoming feasts and expressions of gratitude for the good things in life.

One thing is for certain: from a football standpoint, Alabama fans have much to be thankful for.

At his Wednesday press conference, Coach Saban said that they would make sure that every player had the opportunity to have a great Thanksgiving dinner, at Coach Saban’s home if being with their own families is not possible. Last year somewhere around 30 players dined with Nick and Terry.

He also said that DJ Dale is questionable for Saturday, but it sounds like everyone else should be good to go. Full video below.

Saban also appeared a day early on his weekly radio show, and as usual he used that platform for a choice sound bite, this time when asked about the epidemic of players faking injuries.

“I know we want to win games, but we still have a responsibility and obligation to teach values.” Saban said he gets mad at his players when they lay on the field. “You’re telling the other guy he’s kicking your ass,” he said.

While I agree with his sentiment here, the idea that offensive teams can “trap” defensive players on the field by not substituting is one of the worst rules in the sport. In that context, I am fine with a gassed player staying down so that he can be substituted and yes, it is a player safety issue. Fatigue has a profound impact on injury risk.

A few more links for you:

Fivethirtyeight discusses the chaos that would create playoff armageddon.

CBS picks games for week 14, though you might not like the Iron Bowl pick.

Brett Hudson at TideSports outlines the importance of YAC this week.

Last, Tennessee now has bowl eligibility to be thankful for, and SEC Shorts knocked it out of the park as usual.

I think we can all be thankful that we aren’t Tennessee fans.

That’s about it for today. Those who are able to spend time with family, enjoy. Those who are working, hopefully you can find an opportunity to give thanks and have a little turkey. Those in healthcare, law enforcement, firefighters, military and others in public service who have no choice but to work today, thank you for all that you do.

May everyone have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Roll Tide.

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Ed. Note: There’s not much on in the way of college football today. However, we do have:

Turkey Day Classic f. Alabama State on CBS Sports at noon CST.

Egg Bowl 6:30 CST on ESPN (Ole Miss +2.5 at Miss. State)

And, the Battle 4 Atlantis is on most of the day, as well. Here’s an updated bracket with the television times — the Tide tips against Iowa State at 6:30 PM CST on ESPNU.

And, of course, there’s some NFL action on today — Bears at Lions will be terrible, but Bo Scarbrough has the chance to be a breakout back for the forlorn LOINS, and Eddie Jackson is still a machine for the Monsters of the Midway.

Lastly, Giving Away Money is coming up at 9:00 CST this morning.

That’s it. Have a great holiday, be safe, and Roll Tide — EE