'Jaws' off 'MNF,' on to other duties at ESPN

RON JAWORSKI'S move out of the "Monday Night Football" booth doesn't mean he's being silenced. Quite the contrary, actually.

ESPN is taking Jaworski off the three-man "MNF" team and giving him other forums for his football knowledge, while giving the 60-year-old Jaworski a bit of breather.

Additionally, the network and the former Eagles quarterback agreed to a new, 5-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"It's a bittersweet decision, no doubt," Jaworski said. "But they're going to give me incredible platforms and allow me to [develop] football ideas for segments within our shows."

Mike Tirico will remain the anchor for "Monday Night Football," with Jon Gruden the lone color analyst.

Gruden sounded as if he was less than thrilled with the decision.

"I understand there are times when players have to put their faith in the coaches and other decision-makers who are trying to position a team for success, and that's what I'm doing here," Gruden, who signed a 5-year extension in October, said in a statement. "I have faith in the people I'm working for here at ESPN. Jaws has taught me so much about broadcasting and nobody works harder. He also watches as much film as anyone. I'll miss working with him on Monday Nights but I'm glad we're still on the same ESPN team."

The last time ESPN used only two broadcasters for NFL games was when Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann called Sunday night games from 1988-97.

"It's been a personal honor and professional pleasure to work with Jaws on Monday nights," Tirico said. "His presence has helped make the last 5 years so enjoyable on and off the air. We've been working together in different roles for almost 20 years at ESPN, and I'm thrilled that he will remain a teammate."

Jaworski's new role will include appearances on "Sunday NFL Countdown," "Monday Night Countdown," "NFL Matchup" and other network shows.

"We all know that there is a lot of fluff on TV," Jaworski said. "I want to do more X's and O's type of stuff; go on the inside and give fans a better idea of why things happen."

Among the ideas bursting from Jaws' ever-churning mind is a takeoff of Gruden's quarterback sitdowns with college quarterbacks. Except Jaworski plans on in-depth strategy sessions with NFL signal-callers.

"I'm 60 years old and just got a 5-year deal," Jaworski said laughing. "When you do 'Monday Night Football,' you are grinding 80, 90 hours per week during the season. This [job switch] cuts it down to 60 or 70."