William Liang-Imagn Images / Westwood One
By Sam Neumann on

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A week after Drake Maye’s meltdown gave Kevin Harlan the signature call of the NFL’s opening weekend, the Rams and Giants gave him something SportsCenter Top 10-worthy to lose his composure over.

The Rams needed it. Los Angeles opened its season getting run out of Melbourne by the 49ers, a listless 27-7 loss in the league’s first regular-season game in Australia that did little to justify the Super Bowl hype hanging over the roster. Monday night against the Giants, Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams reminded everyone what this offense is supposed to look like.

On the Rams’ second drive from scrimmage, Stafford dropped a low, side-arming throw over the middle that found Adams in full stride, and he raced the final yards untouched for a 31-yard touchdown. It was their 15th touchdown connection as teammates, picking up right where Adams left off a season ago, when he led the league outright with 14 touchdown receptions. Adams kept rolling from there, finishing the night with eight catches for 195 yards and two scores as the Rams routed the Giants, 28-6.

Calling the game for Westwood One, Kevin Harlan leaped straight up out of his seat, fists driving into the air, then spun to the side and threw his whole body into the celebration, while punctuating the touchdown call with every ounce of enthusiasm he had.

Harlan’s reaction to Adams wasn’t a one-week wonder. Twelve days earlier, he’d already leaped out of his seat calling Drake Maye’s third interception of the fourth quarter, the backbreaking pick that handed Seattle a 13-10 win over New England in the Super Bowl rematch that opened the season.

Harlan was also the subject of probably the most famous announcer booth cam when he nearly toppled out of his chair calling Furman’s stunning upset of Virginia in the NCAA Tournament a few years ago.  Although he may not have been totally enthused with how that looked, hopefully he can rest assured that seeing this kind of authentic enthusiasm and love of the game only endears him to sports fans more.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann