League deals Cardinals bad hand with Thanksgiving game

I'll tell you someone who isn't all that grateful for Thanksgiving: The Arizona Cardinals. And, frankly, I can't say that I blame them.

The Cardinals' anger is directed at the league office, which scheduled them for this week's Thursday night game. Normally, that would be no big deal. In fact, normally, they'd be flattered to be a featured guest on Thanksgiving night.

But look what they're asked to do: Fly across country in a short week to play a non-division opponent. The Cardinals are in Philadelphia, where the crowd can be as hostile as the opponent, and they're not too happy about it.

I wouldn't be, either, if I were in their situation.

It's hard enough to win after a cross-country trip, and Arizona is the proof. The Cards earlier this year lost in Washington, then hung around the city for a week getting ready for a game with the Jets before getting blown out.

The last time they were in the Eastern Time Zone they lost to Carolina, and join the club. San Diego has been east three times and lost all three. The Raiders have been east three times and lost all three. The Seattle Seahawks are 0-4 in the east.

I think you get the idea. It's tough to win going west to east, and, granted, teams in the west generally stink this season, but Seattle was 1-4 there last year when it was a playoff team. The point is: It's tough to win after making a 2,340-mile trip, which is how far the Cardinals must go to reach Philadelphia.

But it's tougher to make that trip on three days' rest -- and that’s exactly what Arizona has been forced to do.

"Ridiculous," said someone close to the club.

I'd say that about sums it up. Competitive disadvantage might be another way of expressing it. All I know is that Thursday night games generally involve teams that are closer geographically than Phoenix and Philadelphia.

Last week, for instance, the Steelers were home against Cincinnati. The week before that it was the Jets at New England. Next week, it's Oakland at San Diego.

So Denver had to fly to Cleveland. The distance is roughly half that of Phoenix to Philadelphia.

And while we're on the subject, the Seahawks have a complaint this week, too. They have to go 2,150 miles on a short week. Of course, when you live in Seattle every road game is a hike, but asking them to travel a zillion miles for a Thursday afternoon game in Dallas is advantageous to one club -- and it's not the Seahawks.

My point is: If you're going to make someone travel for a Thursday game why make things tougher than they already are in a short week? I'm on board with the Cardinals when they say that scheduling a non-division opponent is a big deal because they know nothing about the Eagles, other than Donovan McNabb is under more friendly fire than the United States Treasury Dept.

If it were, say, St. Louis or Seattle, it would be different because they play those guys twice a year and have a book on them. But the Eagles? Arizona played them once in the last five years, and that was in 2005 when the Cards were coached by Denny Green.

Bottom line: The league didn't do Arizona a favor by putting it in Philadelphia on Thanksgiving. The Cardinals should be steamed, and if they win good for them. They beat the odds. But if they don't, they have a legitimate gripe.