seahawks are preparing to face San Francisco on Sunday. Teammate

The menu was pretty light from my first Thanksgiving in the NFL as a rookie with the St. Louis Rams. Instant mashed potatoes -- the kind of stuff that comes in the big red box. Easy to make. I handled that. A precooked turkey. Throw it in the microwave? Yeah, cool. I guess that works. And a case of Icehouse. Longneck bottles, too. You know, dress it up nice for Thanksgiving.Thats it. Dig in.Gross? No doubt. But when four lonely rookies got together back in 2000 -- without family -- it was the best we could do. And we tried to have some sense of normalcy. Dinner, then turn on the Cowboys game, throw in a movie after. More beers. We laughed a lot. But it wasnt the same. Not even close.The pecan pie Mom makes? Nope. Or the sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top? Nah. And the family, the little kids running around, all the traditions you love about Thanksgiving? Didnt have any of that either.I missed it. My teammates in St. Louis did too.As you get older in the league, you become more accustomed to missing holidays at home. It will never be ideal, but its also part of the gig as a pro. And your family adjusts too.But that first one? Yikes. I had a hard time. It was the first Thanksgiving I ever missed. I played under the old college football schedule of the 90s. At Iowa, we would wrap up the regular season versus the Gophers the weekend before Thanksgiving before heading back to our respective homes for the holiday.But when youre not there, its the small things you miss.?We used to have a family Turkey Bowl every Thanksgiving in Peoria, Illinois, across the street from my aunt and uncles house. Bad playcalling. Jump balls in the end zone. Quarterback scramble drills. Lots of turnovers. And some injuries. I busted up my dads knee once. And the adults capped off the game with Old Styles, mudslides and vodka tonics. Me too when I turned 21.But our celebration back in a Creve Coeur, Missouri, apartment was much different. Yeah, something was off about that turkey. It didnt look right coming out of the microwave. And we forgot gravy. So, we used ranch dressing on the mashed potatoes. The Icehouse? We couldve done better there.Mainly, just wasnt the same as being surrounded by family.Now, the cool thing about the pros is that everyone takes care of each other. Veteran players will open up their homes to the young cats. Some coaches, too. And everyone in the locker room makes sure that the guys have a place to go for the holiday.Practice starts much earlier in the day and players are out of the facility usually around 1 p.m. You try to keep as many traditions intact as possible. From the Cowboys late-afternoon kickoff to turkey around halftime, its a welcome break from the grind. And you need that as a player.But as the current NFL rooks will find out, it doesnt compare to being home.ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. Vapormax 2019 Nz .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Nike Vapormax Sale Nz . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. http://www.airvapormaxnz.com/vapormax-97-sale-nz.html . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Vapormax New Zealand . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Nz . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage.Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman has promised a world-class showdown with Cincinnati Bengals receiver AJ Green at Wembley, provided he is given clearance to play. Norman is hopeful he can emerge from the concussion protocol with the green light to feature in this years third and final International Series game in London, live on Sky Sports. Washington Redskins: Who to Watch A look at Washingtons key players ahead of Sundays live game The top-tier corner will be matched up against elite receiver in Green this weekend. Only Atlantas Julio Jones has more receiving yards than Green this term and Norman is relishing the prospect of attempting to limiting his impact. (Its) the best of the best, man, he said. World-class - thats how I feel about it.To get the opportunity, oh my gosh, Im probably going to be like a little kid on Christmas in a candy store or something, just all excited. Once the excitement goes then its time to play ball. Im looking forward to it in that aspect and well see what happens. Bengals wide receiver A.J.Green is hoping the London Who Dey Nation will help his team beat the Redskins at Wembley However, Norman is one of a number of injury concerns for the 4-3 Redskins, who have already ruled out starting running back Matt Jones with a knee issue.Star tight end Jordan Reed, like Norman, must be cleared by doctors after suffering from concussion symptoms which kept him out of their past two games. Cincinnati Bengals: Who to watch Who to watch when the Bengals take on the Redskins at Wembley The NFL has placed more emphasis on the post-concussion evaluation process in recent years and Norman knows he will need to be signed off to allow him to participate at Wembley.Im fine, but at the end of the day thats their (the teams) call not mine, he added. If it was up to me Id go so well see how it goes. The 10th year of the NFL international series will conclude at Wembley on Sunday Normans head coach Jay Gruden will run into his old colleagues across the pond having been Cincinnatis offensive coordinator for three seasons.ddddddddddddThose were the first campaigns Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton spent in the NFL and he credits Grudens influence for his role in helping the team reach the play-offs in five successive terms.A big reason why Im in Cincinnati now is because of Jay, he was a great coordinator here, Dalton said. Highlights of the Redskinsclash against the Detroit Lions in Week 7 of the NFL We had a lot of success with him and its the reason he was able to get that job in Washington. Hes a great coach and Im sure the guys love to play for him. He was a lot of fun to have around.I feel like hes got a big part in the reason Ive been playing the way I have here recently and hes got me to be the player I am today.Check our updates from the game between the Redskins @ Bengals at Wembley on skysports.com/NFL, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportsNFL this Sunday or catch the action, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 1pm. Also See: Sky Live: NFL on Sunday QUIZ: NFL @ Wembley Cincinnati Bengals: Who to watch Washington Redskins: Who to Watch ' ' '