Jaworski (left) will remain on ESPN's studio shows for NFL coverage. (Jeff Kern/Creative Commons)

I was a big fan of "Jaws" in the booth because I thought he provided the most in-depth analysis of the game out of the three broadcasters. Now, the MNF audience is stuck with more Gruden and his constant "this guy" references. While Gruden's optimism on every player can be refreshing occasionally, I mostly like to be informed by the analyst on certain things going on in the game that I previously had not been aware of.

Now, for just the sixth time in 42 years, ESPN is rolling with a two-man broadcast booth for Monday Night Football. I think that this is a huge mistake and that it will lead to decreased MNF ratings until ESPN finally finds a third person to join Tirico and Gruden in the booth.

Jaworski was a former Eagles quarterback who was promoted to the MNF booth in 2007. He had great chemistry with Tirico and Gruden, and he made the MNF broadcast entertaining and informative. Jaworski's analysis was easy to understand for the average football fan, while also being in-depth enough for the football maniac to appreciate. Jaws will still remain on the ESPN NFL staff, as you will be able to see him on ESPN programs such as "Monday Night Countdown" and "Sunday NFL Countdown."

"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," Jaworski said in a press release. "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."

Mayock provides astute color commentary for NFL Network. (Ryan Lejbak/Creative Commons)

Personally, I think that ESPN should immediately be searching for Jaws replacement, a guy who really provides interesting and detailed analysis along with some flair. While ESPN NFL analysts Mark Schlereth and Trent Dilfer immediately come up to my mind, I believe the best answer is an analyst who is currently not employed by ESPN.

My favorite analyst this year was none other than NFL Network's Thursday Night Football color commentator Mike Mayock. He is always extremely prepared and generally tends to wow his audience with an astute knowledge for the game. He also is extremely charismatic, and is a pleasure to listen to. Mayock deserves a bigger stage than on Thursday night, and I think that ESPN and Mayock's marriage on MNF would make its audience the real winners. 

Today, ESPN provided us sports fans with a real shocker. However, I think that Jaws will prevail over ESPN for now because he will still be an effective studio analyst, while ESPN will be lacking heading into the 2012 MNF year with their two-man booth.

______________________________________

Reach Max by email, or follow him on Twitter.