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Jason Kelce, the former Philadelphia Eagles center often portrayed as the NFL’s class clown, was in top form in his Monday Night Countdown debut as he talked about what he used to do best: playing on the offensive line.
At the end of Monday night’s two-hour show, which kicked off ESPN’s broadcast of the Jets’ game against the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Kelce analyzed three plays from last season to describe San Francisco’s varied running game and the challenges it poses for defenses.
For players who become commentators, the biggest challenge is often conveying their extensive expertise within the confines of a national broadcast. Kelce handled the task brilliantly in this segment, providing one easy-to-understand comment on each play – not three jargon-packed comments.
On the first play, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey followed the posturing Kyle Juszczyk into the double block formed by tight end George Kittle and left tackle Trent Williams. Kelce focused on the linebacker, who was taken out of the play by the block.
“If that backer stays in, he’ll be north and south in an instant,” Kelce said as McCaffrey jumped through the hole.
On the next play, Juszczyk made another move, but Kelce focused on the “reckless reach” technique that Kittle had used to get to the second level. The note on the final replay was simple: For the first time, San Francisco ran in the opposite direction of the player making the move.
“The greatest form of flattery is imitation and everyone takes (San Francisco 49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan’s offense and principles and incorporates them, and it’s because of their creativity,” Kelce said. “It’s because of how well they can connect everything together. When you look so similar in a movement, they can improve the angles and set up their dynamic personnel in a way that allows them to be successful.”
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Kelce appeared affable and relaxed at the ESPN desk while speaking with host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears. His everyman personality is one of the reasons his podcast New Heights was recently sold to Amazon’s Wondery for $100 million (his celebrity brother, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, is another reason), and it’s why the industry expects Kelce to find success in his media life after his playing days are over.
It’s difficult not to compare Kelce’s debut to that of Tom Brady, who was commentating his first NFL game for FOX on Sunday. Brady struggled to keep up with the pace of the game — a challenge Kelce doesn’t have to face since much of the pre-game coverage is orchestrated in advance. But Brady came across as stiff and awkward, unable to consistently draw on his NFL knowledge even as the Cowboys-Browns game turned into a rout.
ESPN had to pivot to an unplanned segment on Monday night. About halfway through the broadcast, reporter Adam Schefter broke the news that McCaffrey would not play in the game due to a calf injury. The broadcast then switched to the panel. Kelce praised McCaffrey’s abilities as a runner and receiver and said it was the right decision to bench him at this point in the season, as calf problems can linger and lead to more serious injuries.
Kelce referenced his own injury history earlier in the broadcast when discussing the return of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played for the first time Monday after tearing his Achilles tendon four games last season. Kelce suffered a torn medial collateral ligament and a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in 2012.
“After this injury, you just wait for the first contact and until it happens, you don’t know what it’s going to feel like. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
Kelce’s appearance also benefited from the chemistry Clark and Spears have developed on other ESPN broadcasts and the acumen of host Van Pelt, who can guide a conversation without leaving fingerprints. Some of the show’s best moments came when Kelce, Clark and Spears complemented each other and relayed the flowing conversation multiple times rather than answering and asking long questions back and forth. They never fell into the trap of making the show about Kelce’s career, which can happen when active or recently retired players fill in on studio broadcasts, but only made small nods to their personal experiences to tie them in with the news of the day.
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Kelce’s company never missed an opportunity to point out his growing celebrity or poke fun at his lack of sophistication. Van Pelt introduced Kelce as the man who left his luggage on the truck. He wore a tight white dress shirt he bought at a local mall, the judges said, which opened as Kelce moved his arms throughout the show.
Clark later returned to the point when Kelce expressed his appreciation for the Lions’ offensive line.
“His nipples almost popped out of the button,” said Clark, the former Pittsburgh Steelers safety.
At the end of the show, Spears gave each crew member a pair of sunglasses. Kelce said he didn’t feel comfortable in the stylish sunglasses.
“You’re the new white male Oprah,” Spears said. “These things are going to sell like hotcakes.”
In dialogue with Peyton and Eli Manning, Eli sent the show a pre-recorded package of “audition clips” that Kelce submitted for their Manningcast musical. Kelce tap danced in flip-flops, chanted MUSICALS, and included a Swift reference (“Karma gets tickets to the Manningcast musical”).
When the show returned to the panel, Van Pelt made a prediction.
“We have a one-year loan contract,” he said. “He won’t be with us long. We’ll enjoy him as long as we have him.”
Brandon Holveck covers high school sports for The News Journal. Reach him at [email protected].
