We love Ron Jaworski. We do. No football analyst on TV watches more game film than "Jaws." We think he spends more time at NFL Films headquarters in Mt. Laurel, N.J., than at home. He'll be a great addition to ESPN's "Monday Night Football." No question about it.
An inspired idea would've been to pair Jaworski, left, with Joe Theismann, the network's longtime NFL game analyst. Instead, ESPN plans to relegate Theismann to some useless other gig in favor of teaming Jaworski with holdovers Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser.
The problem with ESPN's first season of "MNF" wasn't Theismann's analysis. Having been around the game as long as he has, his forceful and insightful comments were appreciated by the Sports Couch Potato and legions of other NFL fans. The problem was his lack of chemistry with Kornheiser. It appears Kornheiser, the newspaper columnist, was brought on as the resident pot stirrer, often challenging statements made by Theismann, the former player. Sometimes it was so Cosell-ian that it felt forced.
Rewind to ESPN's old "Sunday Night Football" team of Theismann, Mike Patrick and Paul Maguire. The synergy between analysts Theismann and Maguire was terrific. Their byplay was articulate, informative and often funny -- the main ingredients of a quality broadcast. Feeling a need to do something different on its new Monday night package, ESPN chose to banish Maguire to Saturday college football games. It was a mistake. The same fate may now await Theismann.
We know Jaworski's a regular during the football season on "Pardon the Interruption," the great afternoon sports-talk show headlined by Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. Kornheiser is obviously comfortable with Jaworski and vice versa. We get that. What we don't get is why a guy like Theismann who speaks to the fan is the odd man out.
What the dedicated NFL fan wants more than anything is solid, inside analysis, not excessive banter. Hopefully, CBS or Fox will open up a spot for Theismann when his ESPN contract runs out and get him back where he belongs -- in the booth at an NFL stadium.
