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    • Jason Kelce Makes Monday Night Football Debut: Charisma and Expertise on Display
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    Jason Kelce Makes Monday Night Football Debut: Charisma and Expertise on Display

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    Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, often seen as the NFL’s class clown, was at his best during his Monday Night Countdown debut when he talked about what he used to do best: play on the offensive line.

    At the end of Monday night’s two-hour show, which preceded ESPN’s broadcast of the Jets-49ers game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Kelce discussed three plays from last season to describe San Francisco’s diverse running game and the challenges it poses for the defense.

    Often the biggest challenge for players-turned-announcers is sharing their vast expertise in the cramped confines of a national broadcast. Kelce nailed this segment by making one digestible comment about each play — not three jargon-shrouded ones.

    On the first play, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey followed a crying Kyle Juszczyk into the double-team block created by tight end George Kittle and left tackle Trent Williams. Kelce targeted the linebacker who was washed away by the block.

    “If that backer stays inside, he’s going north and south right away,” Kelce said as McCaffrey jumped through the hole.

    On the next play, Juszczyk gestured again, but Kelce focused on the “reckless reach” technique Kittle used to work his way to the second level. The note on the final rep was simple: For the first time, San Francisco was running in the opposite direction of the player making the gesture.

    “The greatest form of flattery is imitation and everybody takes (San Francisco 49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan’s offense and their principles and they adopt it, and it’s because of how creative it is,” Kelce said. “It’s because of how much they can put it all together. When you look so similar with one move, they can improve their angles, they can set up their dynamic personnel to put themselves in positions to succeed.”

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    Kelce came across as friendly and at ease while chatting with host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears on the ESPN desk. His off-the-cuff persona is one reason his podcast, New Heights, was recently sold to Amazon’s Wondery in a $100 million deal (his famous brother, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, is another). And it’s why industry expectations are for Kelce to thrive in his post-playing media life.

    It’s hard not to compare Kelce’s debut to that of Tom Brady, who called 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, since much of the pregame show is orchestrated in advance. But Brady came across as stiff and awkward, unable to consistently draw on his reservoir of NFL knowledge, even as the Cowboys’ game turned into a rout of the Browns.

    ESPN did have to switch to an unscheduled segment on Monday night. Midway through the show, reporter Adam Schefter broke the news that McCaffrey would not play due to a calf injury. The show then threw it to the panel. Kelce praised McCaffrey’s skills as both a runner and a receiver and said it was the right decision to sit him out at this point in the season, as calf issues can linger and lead to more serious injuries.

    Kelce alluded to his own injury history earlier in the show when discussing the return of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played for the first time Monday after tearing his Achilles tendon four plays into last season. Kelce tore his MCL and partially his ACL in 2012.

    “When you come off that injury, you just wait for that first contact and until it happens, you don’t know how it’s going to feel. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.

    Kelce’s performance also benefited from the chemistry that fellow panelists Clark and Spears have developed on other ESPN programming and the acumen of host Van Pelt, who can steer a conversation without leaving fingerprints on the steering wheel. Some of the show’s best moments came when Kelce, Clark and Spears complemented each other’s points and relayed the fluid conversation multiple times, rather than answering and asking lengthy questions back and forth. They never fell into the trap of making the show about Kelce’s career, which can happen when current or recently retired actors appear on studio shows, and instead only made small nods to their personal experiences to relate to the news of the day.

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    Kelce’s company never missed an opportunity to highlight his growing celebrity or poke fun at his lack of sophistication. Van Pelt introduced Kelce as the man who left his luggage in the truck. He wore a crisp white shirt he bought at a local mall, the panel said, which fell open as Kelce moved his arms throughout the show.

    Clark later revisited the issue when Kelce expressed his appreciation for the Lions’ offensive line.

    “His nipples were almost popping out,” 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 shades.

    “You’re the new white male Oprah,” Spears said. “Those things are flying off the shelves.”

    In a cross-chat with Peyton and Eli Manning, Eli directed the show to a pre-recorded package of “audition clips” Kelce had submitted for their Manningcast musical. Kelce tap-danced in flip-flops, chanted MUSICALS, and worked in a Swift reference (“Karma gets tickets to Manningcast the musical”).

    When the program returned to the panel, Van Pelt made a prediction.

    “We have a one-year lease,” he said. “He’s not going to be with us long. We’re going to enjoy him while we have him.”

    Brandon Holveck covers high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at [email protected].

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