Wild turkey games take their toll

It's a dream.

"As a kid, we grew up watching the NFL games on Thanksgiving, and at halftime, we'd be outside playing football ourselves, imagining what it would be like if we made it big someday," Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear said. "It's an honor to play in this game."

It's a pain, too.

"Aw, man, I'm usually so sore after a Sunday game that my body doesn't feel right until Saturday," Locklear said. "This week, it's going to be tough."

Therein lies the privilege and the burden of today's game. This meeting with the Dallas Cowboys represents the biggest stage the 2-9 Seahawks will be on all season. They began the year with dreams of a Super Bowl; instead, they must settle for the Turkey Bowl.

It will be a wonderful experience, provided the players stop wincing enough to enjoy it.

Few feats in sports are more difficult than playing two NFL games in five days. The recovery time is inadequate, the preparation time insufficient. In a sport that takes structure and routine to militaristic proportions, a Thursday game fiddles with everything they hold dear.

Players such as Locklear, who slowly return to health, must try every trick to knead out their soreness more quickly. Coaches who thrive on film study must cram strategies into their players' brains while they're still trying to forget the previous week's game plan.

Take three days from their week, and it's like you're asking them to make stuffing for the first time.

"Thanksgiving Day games are pretty cool," defensive tackle Craig Terrill said. "But in general, I'm not a big fan of Thursday games."

The normal workweek for Seahawks players goes like this: some light work Monday, off Tuesday, practice and film study Wednesday through Friday and walk-through Saturday.

Here's how a Thursday game on the road changed things: Off Monday, long day of practice and film Tuesday, early Wednesday practice (like hybrid of a Friday practice and Saturday walk-through) and travel immediately afterward.

They're not complaining because the Cowboys have the same dilemma, sans travel. The difference is, the Cowboys do this every year, just as the woeful Detroit Lions continue to do for some inexplicable reason.

But for all the attention paid to these Thanksgiving games, they're probably the least indicative of real NFL action. They're crapshoots. Teams don't know who's going to be healthy enough to play, and they haven't studied the matchups well, either. Perhaps that's why these games tend to be so memorable — and odd.

There was the infamous Bounty Bowl in 1989, between the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, when the Eagles allegedly placed a bounty on the Cowboys kicker.

There was the infamous Leon Lett mishap in 1993, when the Cowboys defensive tackle tried to pick up a blocked field goal in the snow, which allowed the Miami Dolphins to regain possession and kick a shorter attempt to claim a wacky 16-14 victory.

There was the coin-toss fiasco in 1998, when officials confused Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis' call and awarded the ball to Detroit. Because of the foul-up, team captains are now told to say heads or tails before the coin is tossed into the air.

Something crazy is bound to happen in today's game. Like, maybe, a Seahawks victory?

Despite the cumbersome nature of a Thursday game, the Seahawks know they could provide some goodwill with a win.

"It's a special day," wide receiver Deion Branch said. "We've got to be thankful. With all the crazy stuff going on here, hopefully we can give our fans a great Thanksgiving. Everybody will be watching that game. They may not want to watch it, but they'll be watching."

The Seahawks last played a Thursday game on Dec. 14, 2006, a 24-14 home loss to San Francisco on a nasty, rainy night. You might recall that night ended with a windstorm torturing the region.

To limit their aches this week, the Seahawks went in for extra sessions in the hot and cold tubs, visited massage therapists and rummaged through supplements looking for an edge. Aside from center Chris Spencer, who suffered a back injury last Sunday, it appears the players have transitioned from Sunday to today in decent health.

"It's our job," Locklear said. "We're professionals. It's the big stage, and we're going to be fired up."

His Thanksgiving dream never included bruises and painkillers, but so what? He's in the NFL. He's playing in a Turkey Bowl game. He wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything.

"Well, I might trade it for some ice," Locklear joked, "but hopefully my adrenaline will get me through it."

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For more columns and the Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports