T1B

DANA POINT, CALIF. - The NFL announced Monday that the Chargers will kickoff their 2009 season in Oakland against the rival Raiders as part of an ESPN Monday Night Football doubleheader.

“Playing a division rival on national television is a great way to start our season,” Chargers President Dean Spanos said. “We’re excited about the opportunity for Chargers fans across the country to watch us kick off a tough schedule.”

The 2009 season marks the 50th anniversary of the American Football League, and four of the eight original AFL franchises will be celebrated in the doubleheader. The Patriots will host the Bills in the first half, and the Chargers and Raiders will follow with kickoff scheduled for approximately 7:15 PST.

“The Chargers-Raiders rivalry is always a heated matchup,” Head Coach Norv Turner said.. uh yea, right Norv...11 straight and counting should have told ya how heated it is. “Our fans always get a little extra excited when we play bury the Raiders, and this will be a great way for us to get things going.”

The game marks the second time in four years that the Chargers have opened their season on Monday night in Oakland. They began their 2006 campaign with a 27-0 victory against the Raiders in Philip Rivers’ first start of his career. The 2009 opener will provide the Chargers with a chance to run their current win streak over the Raiders to 12 games.


...uh, this looks like it could be gravy

As noted, SD has banged Oakland around at will over the last half decade, including the embarassing 27-0 drubbing in Art Shell's #2 debut on opening Monday Night in '06.

Opening Monday night in '08 saw Oakland get humiliated and hammered at home by Dungver, 41-14.

Why would Monday night opener '09 be any different?

Last I checked, SD won the division last year and Oakland won just 5 games.

Until further mypia kicks in, I expect the Raiders to again get the living shit kicked out of them, and by this time, fans who HATE Oakland won't even stay tuned in to watch -- because Oakland has had the shit kicked out of them SO many times over recent years that ... The Thrill is Gone.[/B.B. King]