One fiery Thanksgiving among Arizona Cardinals radio analyst's memories

We sat down with former longtime NFL center A.Q. Shipley, who is in his first season as radio analyst for the Arizona Cardinals, for a quick Thanksgiving-related Q&A.

Question: What’s your best Thanksgiving Week/Day memory?

Answer: It was 2013. I was playing for the Ravens, rivalry game on Thursday night, Thanksgiving, against the (Pittsburgh) Steelers in Baltimore. It was the game where (Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin stuck the leg out – do you remember that? – and Jacoby Jones was returning the kickoff for what was going to be a touchdown.

But he had to slow down (to avoid colliding with Tomlin). We won the game (22-20). But yeah, I remember that one. I was starting at guard against my hometown team against all the guys I grew up watching. But we won and it was awesome because we had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so I got to really enjoy Thanksgiving versus a normal football week where you practice the day of, you practice the next day. I enjoyed a huge spread, so it was great.

OK, so what was your worst or craziest Thanksgiving Week/Day memory? It doesn’t have to be about football. It could be something food-related, if you’ve got a story?

Oh yeah, I’ve got a great food accident story. My current wife, we were doing a long-distance relationship, and it was the first time she and I were doing Thanksgiving together as a couple. I was playing here in Arizona for the Cardinals, and I was living out in Chandler. So, on Thanksgiving Day, I wake up at 5 in the morning. I’ve got a Big Green Egg (grill). I light it, I get it rolling, I get it to 250 degrees and I’m smoking a turkey.”

What happened?

I go in and wake up my wife and I’m like, "Hey, here’s the deal. I’ve already got this thing going. I’ve got to go to practice, just keep an eye on the turkey. Don’t let it burn.”

And then what?

I’m in meetings and I start getting all these calls from her. I told Harold Goodman, my O-line coach, "Hey, I’ve got to go to the bathroom real quick." I go into the locker room, call her up and ask, "Hey, is everything good?" Well, flames were flying out of the thing. It’s all outside and it’s in the grill so it’s contained. But the turkey is destroyed, burnt to a crisp.

I’m like, "Just close the vents, shut it and let it extinguish itself. The turkey’s ruined. We’ll just order Boston Market tonight." So, that’s what we did.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

We chill now. It’s just the immediate family, my wife and three kids. We do have a big Friendsgiving at our house every year, so we’re doing that ... . We’ll host a bunch of people at our house.

Any former teammates invited?

I would, but all my guys moved away. (Justin) Pugh moved away. D.J. (Humphries) moved away. All my guys are not here anymore.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals radio analyst A.Q. Shipley recalls Thanksgiving memories