ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -Louis Murphy didn’t get much sleep following Oakland’s season-opening loss to San Diego on Monday night.
The Raiders’ rookie wide receiver had a breakout debut but couldn’t shake the feeling he had walking off the field after the Chargers scored with 18 seconds left to stun Oakland and silence what had been a raucous sellout crowd.
“I was devastated, man,” Murphy said Wednesday. “I had three hours of sleep. I played a good game, an OK game, but ultimately I want to win. I don’t want to go through this season saying, ‘All right, Murph had a good game but we lost.’ Nah, that’s not our goal.”
Murphy started the game and caught four passes for 87 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell to put the Raiders ahead 20-17 with 2:34 remaining.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers and running back Darren Sproles stole Murphy’s thunder, however. The two combined for 34 yards during the Chargers’ game-winning 89-yard drive in the final moments, Sproles scoring on a five-yard run with 18 seconds left.
had scored on earlier in the game when he caught a 19-yard pass from Russell, only to have it overturned by replay. It was the most controversial play of the game and ultimately cost Oakland four points after the Raiders settled for a field goal.
Since then, Murphy has become a media darling. He went on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ show Wednesday morning then found himself surrounded by a horde of reporters in the afternoon.
“That’s like winning the lottery and them taking it back from you, the ultimate high then the ultimate low,” Murphy said of his touchdown that was taken away. “When they overturned it I started asking, ‘What’s the rule, what’s the rule, what’s the rule?’ Everybody told me two feet down and once you land it’s OK but then I found out in meetings today the rule is even if you fall with two feet down, you still have to control it, which I thought I did.”
Murphy’s first NFL game was in sharp contrast to that of fellow rookie wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The Raiders first-round draft pick had five passes thrown his way but was held without a catch. He dropped two passes and coach Tom Cable later said of Heyward-Bey, “I saw a real nervous uptight young man, a lot of big eyes.”
Heyward-Bey disputed that notion on Wednesday and said he did his job by pulling defensive attention away from Oakland’s other receivers.
hen we watch film, that’s what I’m doing, my job. As long as the coaches notice that’s all that matters. I don’t really care what the fans think or what anybody else thinks. As long as they see I’m doing the job they want me to do, they’re the ones paying me.”
Unlike Heyward-Bey, Murphy acknowledged having some pre-game jitters but said they went away quickly when Russell started throwing his way early in the game.
“I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous but you just have to focus,” Murphy said. “You train yourself, you watch film and work hard, go through the plays and mentally rep the plays. I think that’s what prepared me for the game.”
Notes: WR Nick Miller has a stress fracture in his right shin and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks. With PR Johnnie Lee Higgins nursing an AC sprain in his shoulder, the Raiders could use either safety Hiram Eugene or WR Javon Walker to return punts against the Chiefs.
Add A Comment