If The Eagles Were A Thanksgiving Dinner

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and we all have two things on our minds going into the big day: stuffing our faces and watching some football.  Football is a time honored tradition that serves as a great compliment to Turkey Day.  Each year, games are played on the holiday itself and it gives us something to be entertained by as we try to tolerate our crazy families.

Each Thanksgiving meal has its typical dishes, along with a few unique items that some families have adopted as a tradition of their own.  You obviously can't have a Thanksgiving dinner without Turkey, mashed potatoes, or awkward conversations with relatives, but it's the side dishes that truly make or break the meal. 

The same concept applies to football teams, in that you obviously need a good QB, a competent coach, and a knowledgeable front office in order to be a good team, but you need some great complimentary players, such as a hard-nosed defensive line, a skilled set of receivers, or a running back who can take over a game by himself once in a while, in order to be a great team.

I think we all know where I'm about to head with this, it's time to compare some Eagles players/coaches to their respective Thanksgiving dinner counterparts.  The comparisons are based not only on their skill level, but how important their role is in order for the team to be as successful as possible.

Turkey: Nick Foles
When people think of Thanksgiving, the Turkey is without a doubt the most popular thought that comes to mind.  If the question was asked in a game of Family Feud, Turkey would be the survey's most popular answer.  The turkey makes or breaks the meal.  In football, the quarterback makes or breaks the team.  If you look at the best teams in the league, Patriots, Broncos, Saints, they have some of the best quarterbacks in the league.  One of the reasons for the Eagles recent success is because of the emergence of Nick Foles.  Although he's not on Brady, Manning, or Brees' level, he has been playing smart, error free football. 

Mashed Potatoes: LeSean McCoy
In the typical Thanksgiving meal, mashed potatoes serve as a reliable compliment to the turkey and can sometimes carry the meal itself if the turkey is struggling.  Shady is one of the best backs in the league and is very capable of winning a game by himself.  McCoy is one of the most important pieces to this Eagles squad and will go a long way towards making this team great.

Stuffing: Trent Cole
Stuffing serves as a great side dish to help fill everyone at the table up, and helps take some of the pressure off the turkey and mashed potatoes.  It gives a different satisfaction to your taste buds and when you feel way too full at the end of the meal, remember that the stuffing helped to play a huge part in that.

Cranberry Sauce: Mike Vick
Cranberry sauce is a very polarizing side dish.  Some people hate cranberry sauce because of a bad experience they had a few years ago, and some people love cranberry sauce because they see it for what it has become.  After his reputation was torn to shreds, Vick has worked incredibly hard to restore his image and has done an incredible amount of charity work in the community since arriving to Philly.  When the cranberry sauce is delicious, it really brings the meal to a whole new level.  Vick is the same way; when Vick is having a great game, the game goes to a whole new level and is a great experience for all involved.

Green Beans: Jason Peters
All of the notoriety of Thanksgiving goes to the turkey and the mashed potatoes, but the green beans don't mind.  The green beans thrive on not being noticed; they just go out onto the field and get the job done.  Thus is the life of the typical NFL offensive lineman.  They are only noticed when something bad happens, like a holding penalty, or a locker room dividing bullying issue.  While everyone at the table is loading up on carbs for most of the meal, the green beans serve as an option to keep those at the table healthy.  Jason Peters goes into every NFL game with the mindset of keeping his teammates healthy.

Pumpkin Pie: DeSean Jackson
Every family is different; some choose to go with a traditional apple pie, while some like to keep in line with the holiday and go with pumpkin pie.  Pumpkin pie is not for everyone, but those that enjoy it really enjoy it.  DeSean is a very polarizing receiver.  Not every team would enjoy having a personality like Jackson on their roster, but those that have a player such as DeSean agree that the experience can be really enjoyable.  Jackson appeals to the sweet tooth in all of us.

Sweet Potatoes: Chip Kelly
Sweet potatoes are an absolute game changer.  This side dish adds a whole notha level of sweet to the meal and can really leave everyone with a satisfying feeling when the meal is over.  Chip Kelly was hired as the head coach to turn a stale Andy Reid product into something great that the fans can enjoy.  The first couple of weeks were a bit trying, the marshmallows weren't melted correctly, the potatoes were overcooked.  But then the Eagles figured out the recipe and have been the victors of the last three games and 5 of the last 7. 

Things look sweet when you're in first place, but let's hope that we aren't full yet.  There's still plenty of football left to play.  But when you have a meal like one that's described above, the odds of the meal being a success look a lot greater.  Happy Thanksgiving and go Eagles!

By: Dan Goggin