http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...-removed-monday-night-football-181728512.html Ron Jaworski is out at "Monday Night Football." ESPN announced Wednesday that the analyst would be removed from the network's signature broadcast beginning in August. Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will operate as a two-man booth. Jaworski will remain at the network and appear on various programs, including "Countdown" and "Matchup." The longtime ESPN analyst had been in the MNF booth since 2007, replacing Joe Theismann after one season. He was supposed to add a respected football voice to a broadcast that included Tony Kornheiser. He dutifully played that role for two years until Jon Gruden was brought in as Kornheiser's replacement. It was all downhill from there. When Jaworski appears on other ESPN shows, he's an insightful football mind who breaks down X's and O's with clarity. His "NFL Matchup" program is the best on television for real football analysis. There was none of that on "Monday Night Football." Jaworski stuck to talking points, spoke in cliches and offered little, if any, breakdown of what was happening on the field. It was like a college professor being forced to teach third grade and not having any idea how to relate to his new surroundings. The addition of Gruden exacerbated the problem. Suddenly there were two football guys in the booth and they seemed to be in competition for who could say the most without saying anything at all. This paragraph, from a December article in The New Yorker about Gruden, was a perfect microcosm of Jaws' time in the booth: When it was Jaworski's turn, he issued a stern proclamation. "Call me crazy, but I'm really excited for Tyler Palko tonight," he said, and a roomful of skeptical sports producers erupted in laughter. Jaworski had given himself the thankless task of building up the Chiefs, praising them as much as he could without putting his own credibility at risk. Perhaps viewers would buy into the idea, however far-fetched, that Palko would emerge as the night's underdog hero. Later that day, as Jaworski was making a cup of coffee in the ESPN bus, he tried the line again. "Call me crazy, but I'm excited about Tyler Palko," he said. He exhaled. "I've got to sell this," he said to himself. He became a carnival barker, not a football analyst. That may have been his own doing or based on the suggestions of ESPN producers. Regardless, the mentality to promote the game rather than describe it, which seems to be shared by Tirico and Gruden, is a big reason why "Monday Night Football" has become borderline unwatchable in recent years. It's not a football game anymore; it's a promotional vehicle. (That's only going to get worse when Gruden is given a bigger stage.) Jaws was out of place. His football knowledge didn't change, it was the forum he had in which to disseminate it. ESPN played up Jaworski's new role in a press release, but it's hard to consider this anything but a demotion. He goes from being in the booth for the network's marquee telecast to fighting for airtime on "Sunday NFL Countdown" with Cris Carter. "I am grateful for having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working on 'Monday Night Football' the past five seasons with Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and so many other talented people behind the scenes who make the show so great, and I look forward to bringing my passion and knowledge of the game to more fans in more places than ever before on any and all football topics," Jaworski said in the statement. The last two-man booth on "Monday Night Football" was Al Michaels and John Madden. ESPN has used three-man teams since acquiring rights to the telecast in 2006.
I disagree that this is a big-time demotion for Jaws. They tried it, it didn't really work, so he's moving on to something else. That something else likely won't be as prestigious as MNF (which is now the weaker sibling to Sunday Night), but ESPN gave him a 5-year contract extension, that I'm sure isn't for peanuts since Jaws would seem a natural fit for the NFL Network. I seem to be in the minority, but I can't listen to gruden call a game. Where did his Brooklyn/Chicago accent come from? He grew up in Ohio & Indiana.
I don't think I've ever seen such an extensive analysis about a color commentator. Slow sports day at yahoo I guess.
I thought I just couldn't tell the difference between Gruden and Jaws' voice. It just turns out Jaws never said anything to begin with.
Rly? Gruden has been unwatchable for me and Jaws is maybe one step above Gruden. Collinsworth is far and away the best.
anyone seen that NFL matchup show? the only time i ever see it on is like 3 am on saturday night/sunday mornings. not sure why, but dig that a lot. it actually talks football, jaws is great on it. it does what he loves to do and break down tape. they need to make that a constant thing in the afternoon lineups. much better than NFL live imo
I really enjoy Gruden as a commentator, he may get a little excited sometimes but that's how he is as a person and was as a coach. People enjoy intensity, look at Gus Johnson. I agree Collinsworth is my favorite. Hurts to say this but Dan Fouts has to be the worst now that Millen got fired lol.
ESPN is making room for Peyton Manning. I have a feeling that next year will be Manning's last. He'll never get his arm strength back to 100% so he'll be forced to retire. Gruden will get a coaching job after this season and ESPN will name Manning as its MNF analyst. They're getting rid of Jaws now since they don't want two ex-QBs in the same booth.
gruden isn't great, but he thinks everyone who's playing on the field that night is. oh and he loves everyone too.
ESPN really has yet to find the right formula in the MNF booth. Theismann was in and out rather quickly (thankfully). Kornheiser was a bad idea from the start, although it ended up working out better than I had imagined it would. Jaws is an analyst I really respect, but he was an odd fit in that booth as well, particularly since Gruden is such a demonstrative presence. And as another poster alluded to, they are going to have to make another switch when Gruden gets back into coaching at some point. I know he loves TV, but you have to imagine that he will be coaching again sooner rather than later. In the recent ESPN book, one of the people they interviewed made a good point about the MNF booth. ESPN is desperately trying to find their Gifford, Cosell and Meredith, but that is a group that will never be duplicated.
He's the play by play guy. Play by play announcers are very rarely former athletes because their job is to get the booth in and out of commercial breaks, describe the play at hand and give time and score. The analyst or color commentator role is usually manned by a former athlete. Their job is to tell the viewer why something did or didn't happen or to break down the replays of what ended up happening.
Exactly, he has a man crush on the sheriff and is in love with all the new players and the moves teams did during the offseason to bring in those such players. I enjoyed Ron and hope he gets more time for game breakdown. Gruden is too much sometimes.
