Thanksgiving is Pat Shurmur’s favorite.
“It’s a meal, there’s no gifts, it’s family,” he said. “I’m fond of this holiday.”
There’s also football, which can’t trace its roots to the Pilgrims but has become just as much a part of the tradition as any other element.
Shurmur will condense the practice schedule on Thursday so the players and coaches will be able to spend a good portion of the day with their friends and loved ones. That also will give them an opportunity to be in front of a television when the top teams in the NFC East face off in late afternoon, at which time they may have to think or say something that could make them gag on their sweet potatoes.