Looks Like It’s Already Too Late for Raiders
With a kickoff time only a night owl could love, the Oakland Raiders played host Monday to the latest-starting game in NFL history.
Some might argue the Raiders have yet to start at all.
They were stuck in neutral in their 27-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers, treating the rare sellout crowd at McAfee Coliseum to these boo-worthy numbers: 129 yards, nine first downs, and few if any glimmers of hope.
“It was a tough night,” Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks said. “Very tough night.”
Brooks was sacked seven times before being replaced in the fourth quarter by backup Andrew Walter, who was sacked twice. Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman accounted for three of the sacks.
Said Oakland guard Barry Sims: “Bottom line is, we have to give the quarterbacks time to find the receivers. And when they’re running for their lives every play, it doesn’t matter who you put back there.”
In matching the NFL’s most lopsided Week 1 victory, the Chargers extended their winning streak against the Raiders to six games. That tied San Diego’s longest string of victories in the series, set from 1960 through ’62.
It was an impressive showing for a San Diego team starting the Philip Rivers era. Rivers, the former North Carolina State quarterback selected fourth overall in 2004, held a clipboard for two seasons as understudy to Drew Brees.
But when the Chargers let Brees sign a free-agent deal with New Orleans in March, it marked Rivers’ time to step into the spotlight. He was solid in his debut, completing eight of 11 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
“As an offense, we were in sync,” Rivers said. “We were the aggressor, even though we weren’t throwing it a lot.”
But the star of the night was running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who rushed for 131 yards in 31 carries with a touchdown. He fell just short of his fifth consecutive 140-yard rushing game at Oakland.
Tomlinson sat out the entire exhibition season, presumably because the Chargers didn’t want to risk an injury to him.
It was San Diego’s first shutout of the Raiders since 1961, back when Al Davis was an assistant coach with the Chargers. The teams had met 90 times since.
The debut was a total flop for Coach Art Shell, Brooks and the rest of the Raiders, who were hoping to make a splash on ESPN’s maiden “Monday Night Football” voyage. The NFL showcase moved to cable TV this season after 36 years at ABC.
The game started at 7:25 p.m. because it was the second half of a doubleheader, and followed Minnesota’s 19-16 victory at Washington. It was only the second time the NFL has staged two games on a Monday, with the first time coming a year ago.
The reason for last season’s doubleheader was that the league had to adjust the New Orleans Saints’ schedule because of damage to the Superdome in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In that format, a game between the Saints and New York Giants kicked off 1 1/2 hours before the previously scheduled Monday game between Washington and Dallas. When the Redskins-Cowboys game began, the Saints-Giants game was switched to ESPN in all markets except New York and New Orleans.
This time, the games were played consecutively. Because the Minnesota-Washington game ran long, the start of the Raiders-Chargers game was pushed back, making it the latest regular-season kickoff in league history and guaranteeing it would stretch into the early-morning hours on the East Coast.
The late start didn’t seem to faze those in attendance, among them Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A pregame ceremony honored the U.S. military and victims on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. A retired Army sergeant sang “America the Beautiful,” a formation of fighter jets roared over the stadium, and the Raiderette cheerleaders performed a routine called “Liberty Fanfare.”
There was more glitz in Washington, where 90,000 fans waved miniature American flags, and Redskins owner Dan Snyder packed his 50-yard-line box with Hollywood celebrities and other VIPs. Among those watching from his luxury suite were Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes -- also reportedly staying at Snyder’s home in Potomac, Md. -- actor Jamie Foxx, new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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