I think you meant "move to the refigerator" rather than "freezer".

Note that the FDA has no supporting data for their refrigerator thawing recommendation. Actual tests have shown more bacteria growth during a refrigerator thaw than for a cold water or an open counter thaw (both of which are approved by the USDA for commercial food preparation).

Further, the refrigerator thaw not only ties up a large amount of refrigerator real estate for days at a time, it also risks contaminating other foods. Note that my turkey roasting article lists times for refrigerator thaw - they are long.

Can you get bacterial growth from an open counter thaw? Of course you can - on exactly the part of turkey that's about to be heated to over 300°F. The USDA admits all bacteria is dead at 164°F but they recommend 168°F because people may not measure accurately.

The old 185°F recommendation is dead - the USDA could find not one shred of supporting data for that ruinous temperature, but most thermometers still are marked for 185.

On the stuffing matter, I fully agree with you. Cooking the stuffing inside the turkey adds little to the stuffing, a significant amount of risk, and nothing to the turkey (except a sauerkraut stuffing does somewhat flavor the turkey). Getting a stuffed turkey to come out completely right takes a bit of experience.