ESPN has made a change to its announcers for Monday Night Football. The usual team of Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski has been downsized to just Tirico and Gruden. ESPN announced the change on Wednesday, explaining that Jaworski will now focus more on in-studio analysis.
Jaworski, the former Philadelphia Eagles standout quarterback, will have a greater year-round presence on ESPN in his new role. In addition to appearing weekly on both Countdown shows and Matchup, Jaworski will make regular appearances on SportsCenter (primarily Sundays and Mondays), NFL Live, NFL Kickoff, Mike & Mike, and the PTI’s “Five Good Minutes”. He will also be featured in ESPN’s annual NFL Draft and Super Bowl week coverage, in addition to having his own NFL-themed SportsCenter Special shows highlighting his expert analysis and X’s and O’s film evaluations.
Jaworski is excellent in this role and does a great job of breaking down film. Some weren't thrilled with his work in the MNF booth, but I thought he did a pretty good job. Gruden, on the other hand, has been aggravating in the past with his constant overrating of players and love for the phrase "this guy." I don't mind him that much, but if they were going to remove someone from the booth, I would've given Gruden the boot.