Forget the Eagles.At least for one day.
Thanksgiving belongs to high school football. And here in Delaware County, we will be serving up a special holiday treat. Upper Darby and Haverford will collide tomorrow in their traditional Turkey Day contest, only this time there is a little extra incentive. The Central League football crown will be on the line.
As you might expect, we will have full team coverage of what is being called perhaps the biggest Thanksgiving Day game in Delco history. And yes, that is saying something.
Today in sports, Matt Smith previews the big game. Make sure you check it out at our home for high school sports, PaPrepLive.com.
Columnist Matt DeGeorge takes a look at the last time the two teams met with this much on the line. Then in tomorrow’s holiday edition (which will actually hit the streets later today), we delve into the way both the Upper Darby and Haverford communities are rallying around this huge game.
Don’t miss this special holiday edition of the Daily Times, which also will be packed with all the circulars you will need to kick off your Black Friday shopping.
Oh, and one other thing:Happy Thanksgiving!
*FANS DELIVER A MESSAGE TO EAGLES, LANE JOHNSON
Welcome to Philadelphia, Lane Johnson.
The Eagles offensive lineman is the latest athlete to learn that you are on very dangerous ground when you start ripping the fans. That is especially true when you are 4-6 and just got your backside kicked up between your shoulder blades by the Tampa Bay Bucs. Yes, the team got booed.
Here’s a couple of questions for Johnson. When is the last time you forked over 40 bucks to park to get into a football game? And this after likely shelling out 100 dollars or more to get into Jeffrey Lurie’s playpen. Add in the perfunctory trinkets, food and drink and you have a fairly expensive day.
Then you are treated to the display the Eagles put on Sunday?
Yes, you are going to get booed.
Fans in this town wear their passion on their sleeves, and they’re not shy about delivering a message to players when they don’t like what they see.
And nothing will get under these fans’ skin more than the impression that players are not giving their all, which is certainly what that act looked like on Sunday.
Johnson came to his senses, or least someone in Lurie’s PR offices did, and quickly made the talk-show rounds to offer an apology and indicate he wasn’t talking about the end of the game, but rather the fans who were letting the team have it when the game was still 7-7.
Actually, it appears as if maybe this team is developing the personality of its coach.
Churlish.Kelly’s act – especially that staccato deliver of his that gives the impression he could care less – is wearing thin. It’s tolerable when you’re going 10-6. But when you’re 4-6 and looking like the team is checking out on the coach, it doesn’t fly.
Luckily, the Eagles are working on a short week. They can resolve all of this by going out there and thumping the Lions in a Thanksgiving Day special in Detroit. A win would put them right back into the playoff hunt.
A loss, and the prospect of then facing the undefeated Patriots?
Well, Lane Johnson may want to cover his ears.
