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‘James Harden!’ ‘Purple Walrus!’ What do Derek Carr’s wacky audibles mean?

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr leaves the field after a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
(Jeff Bottari / Associated Press)
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The Las Vegas Raiders played on Sunday Night Football this week, but quarterback Derek Carr‘s mind seemed to be on another sport.

With no fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium during the Raiders’ 35-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, much of what was said on the field came through crystal clear during the NBC broadcast.

That included the signals called by Carr, who has been known to use some unusual words when calling audibles. An NBA theme emerged with his choices this week.

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Houston Rockets star James Harden got a shout-out.

So did Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and “Pistol Pete” Maravich.

And Kobe Bryant may have gotten a mention too. While some viewers heard Carr yell “Mom in Georgia,” others thought it sounded more like “Mamba Georgia,” a reference to the Lakers legend’s nickname with the moniker of the Peach State tacked on at the end.

Internet sleuths immediately set out to crack the code. What seems clear is that the NBA players indicated a running play. The rest appears to be up for debate.

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Maybe the real meaning can be found in some combination of them all.

And once those online detectives finish with those, maybe they can tackle some of Carr’s other seemingly random phrases, which included “Sammy Davis,” “Google, Google” and perhaps the most inexplicable (and entertaining) of all, “Purple Walrus.”

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