Graney: ‘Monday Night Football’ still magical to Derek Carr

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Derek Carr tried singing the tune this week: “Da da da, da, da da!”

Yeah. I know.

But what the Raiders backmost mightiness person lacked successful belting retired the famed “Monday Night Football” tune, helium made up for with a genuine and inactive exuberant outlook astir what is often the NFL’s astir featured play game.

The lone 1 connected that peculiar night.

The past told and legendary performances made from it. The pageantry of it all.

“You ever imagination arsenic a kid astir playing connected Monday night,” Carr said. “If you don’t inactive emotion it, you mightiness arsenic good spell home. I’m successful my eighth play and I inactive person each those aforesaid feelings. If it ever gets boring for me, I’m going home.”

He volition alternatively connected this Monday nighttime beryllium astatine SoFi Stadium, wherever the unbeaten Raiders are to prosecute the Chargers.

It’s the 2nd Monday nighttime crippled for the Raiders this season, who opened by beating Baltimore 33-27 successful overtime astatine Allegiant Stadium.

ESPN crew

Louis Riddick was successful attendance. The erstwhile NFL information is portion of the ESPN broadcast unit alongside Steve Levy and Brian Griese. The trio besides called a Monday nighttime crippled successful Las Vegas successful 2020, erstwhile Allegiant Stadium was bare due to the fact that of the pandemic. That was then.

This is now: What a quality 61,756 screaming souls and a tv assemblage of 15.2 cardinal viewers, the astir for an opener connected the web since 2013, tin make.

“I thought the stadium was spectacular past twelvemonth from a structural standpoint,” Riddick said. “But you knew however large it would look with fans. And it did. The spot was buzzing (Sept. 13) from the beginning.

“They created the benignant of situation that they wanted erstwhile they envisioned the full happening coming together.”

He was besides capable to ticker and measure the Raiders.

They person been overly palmy connected Monday night, compiling an all-time grounds of 42-19-1. That ranks among the Top 5 successful triumph percent crossed the league.

But that has nary bearing connected being 3-0 to statesman this play and present facing a Chargers broadside coming disconnected a triumph successful Kansas City.

This is astir arsenic large an AFC West crippled arsenic you tin ideate aboriginal successful a 17-game schedule. The Chiefs are inactive the division’s astir talented broadside and a beardown favourite to triumph it. But they person shown immoderate vulnerabilities successful starting 1-2. They’re not world-beaters again. Not yet, anyway.

It gives a squad similar the Raiders hope. It would let for adjacent much with a 4-0 start.

“They’ve had moments wherever you thought this could beryllium the champion discourtesy successful the NFL,” Riddick said. “On defense, they’re going to get the stiffest situation of their play truthful acold Monday night. They cognize that and person to reply the bell.”

The aforesaid feelings

Riddick’s forecast is simple: If the Raiders bash that, it could spell a agelong ways successful determining what benignant of play they have— from the position of a beardown decorativeness and imaginable playoff berth alternatively of again fading down the stretch.

He played for 4 NFL teams — including the Raiders portion successful Oakland — and wholeheartedly agrees with Carr astir the value of Monday night.

That it is an iconic brand. That generations upon generations of players person dreamed astir experiencing it. How if you’re immoderate benignant of competitor, the anticipation of being connected specified a signifier successful dissimilar immoderate other.

“I inactive get arsenic pumped up arsenic ever for that opening kickoff,” Carr said. “I inactive get overjoyed successful my bosom that I’m capable to bash this. I’m 30. I person played a batch of football. Yet you inactive get each the aforesaid feelings for Monday night.”

Da da da, da, da da!

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.