There will be no Thanksgiving friendliness when NFC North division rivals the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions lineup against each other on the field Thursday for their Week 13 matchup, and the first shots in the rivalry were fired two days ahead of the contest when Packers guard Josh Sitton said that the Lions were a dirty team.
Sitton appeared on WSSP 1250 AM in Milwaukee on Tuesday and ripped into Lions coach Jim Schwartz, the team's defensive line and members of the defensive coaching staff during his regular weekly spot on the radio station after the hosts asked him if the Lions would try and take out quarterback Aaron Rodgers had he been ready to return for the game.
"Absolutely; I don't think there's any question about that," Sitton said Tuesday on the radio show, according to ESPN. "They go after quarterbacks. Their entire defense takes cheap shots all the time. That's what they do. That's who they are. They're a bunch of dirtbags or scumbags. That's how they play, and that's how they're coached. It starts with their frickin' coach. It starts with the head coach, Schwartz. He's a d---, too. I wouldn't want to play for him. It starts with him, and their D-coordinator and their D-line coach. They're all just scumbags and so are the D-line."
Rodgers returned to practice on Tuesday, but is not expected to play as he's been sidelined with a fractured collarbone. Matt Flynn is expected to start.
This isn't the first time that bad blood between the two teams has spilled over to the holiday game. Defensive end Ndamukong Suh was ejected after stomping on the arm of offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith during the team's Thanksgiving matchup two years ago.
Sitton was asked what he can do to keep the Lions from playing dirty and he said that the team needs the right mindset to thwart off any violent play that Detroit may implement.
"It's all about attitude, man," he said on the show. "You take it to them before they can take it to you. We have to set the tone of the game as the offensive line. We've got to establish the line of scrimmage and establish that tempo and the attitude early in the game. We have to be the ones that are in charge and not let them take charge."
The Lions (6-5-0) host the Packers (5-5-1) at Ford Field at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. It's safe to say there will be no Thanksgiving pleasantries.
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