Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Laura Rutledge to Call 2019 Monday Night Football Doubleheader Game
Broncos-Raiders in Oakland Helps Kick off MNF's 50th Season on Sept. 9
Play-by-play voice Steve Levy, analysts Brian Griese and Louis Riddick and reporter Laura Rutledge will call the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game on ESPN as part of the opening-night doubleheader to kick off Monday Night Football's 50th season on September 9 at 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT.
This AFC West matchup will follow Houston Texans-New Orleans Saints (7 p.m. ET), which will feature the debut of ESPN's new MNF commentator team: Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters.
Levy and Griese work together on ESPN college football and have called Broncos preseason games locally in Denver. They will be joined in the booth by Riddick, one of ESPN's top NFL analysts - and a one-time Raiders player under Jon Gruden. Levy and Riddick will be making their MNF debuts.
Griese, a former starting quarterback for the Broncos who also played under Gruden while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Rutledge, who has been a reporter on a number of marquee events for ESPN, including the College Football Playoff Semifinal, will be part of the doubleheader telecast for the second straight year after working last year's Jets-Lions game.
"The Monday Night Football doubleheader presents a unique opportunity to try new booth pairings by combining our talented NFL and college football voices into one presentation," said Stephanie Druley, ESPN Executive Vice President, Event and Studio Production. "This team will bring together Steve and Brian, one of our top college booths, with Louis, who has distinguished himself in our NFL studio, and Laura, who continues to excel in her many reporting assignments."
The MNF opener will be the 19th Broncos-Raiders game on Monday Night, the most popular matchup in the 50-year history of sports television's signature series. It also marks the 28th consecutive season that the Broncos are appearing on MNF, the NFL's longest current streak. The Raiders are opening the season at home in Oakland on MNF for the second straight year.
ESPN producer Josh Hoffman and director Mike Schwab, who work with Levy and Griese on college football, will oversee the game production.
Steve Levy
Levy joined ESPN in 1993 and last summer celebrated his 25th year as a SportsCenter anchor. In addition to his studio work, he has called college football games since 2016, working with Griese and Todd McShay.
Levy: "My only concern will be not falling off the chair when I hear that iconic Monday Night Football music. I should be good after that. The phrase 'a dream comes true' gets thrown around quite often, but this is literally, exactly that for me. Everybody knows the TV stars that Louis and Laura are, and Brian and I feel like we have a pretty good thing going on Saturdays in the fall. I'm excited about putting that all together for one entertaining Monday Night in September."
Louis Riddick
Riddick joined ESPN in 2013 following more than a decade of NFL front office experience and a seven-year NFL career. Riddick appears on the MNF halftime and post-game shows, Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live, SportsCenter, Get Up!, ESPN Radio and more. He contributes to ESPN's year-round coverage of the NFL, including Super Bowl week, the NFL Scouting Combine and the NFL Draft.
Riddick: "To contribute to such an iconic brand and this broadcast in Oakland, alongside tremendous professionals like Steve, Brian and Laura, is a privilege. I am grateful for and could not be more fired up about the opportunity."
Brian Griese
Griese joined ESPN in 2009 as a college football analyst, and he currently teams with Levy and McShay on Saturday afternoon games in the fall. Drafted by the Broncos in 1998, Griese's 11-year NFL career included five seasons in Denver where he was part of their Super Bowl XXXIII championship team.
Laura Rutledge
Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 as a reporter for SEC Network and ESPN. In addition to covering live games, she hosts SEC Nation, co-hosts Get Up! and contributes to SportsCenter, the College Football Playoff, The Home Depot College Football Awards, the ESPYS and more.
MNF games will be televised on ESPN, streamed live on all devices via the ESPN App (fans must receive ESPN's networks as part of their video subscription from an affiliated provider) and available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes. 2019 MNF Schedule.
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