It seems that “we” really should stay in the stands, not up in the booth.
Jason Kelce, the former center for the Eagles who has transitioned to an ESPN commentator, is still figuring out his new role, and ESPN appears to recognize that challenge.
In a recent discussion with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jeff Dufine, a seasoned ESPN producer now overseeing the broadcasts for international games, mentioned that Kelce is still adapting to being on-air. He noted that athletes often struggle with this very issue.
“We’ve tried to get the ‘we’ out of him,” Dufine shared, pointing out that this is a common hurdle for players moving to commentary.
During a halftime segment on September 28 while talking with Scott Van Pelt and Pat McAfee after the Bears outperformed the Eagles, Kelce frequently referred to the Eagles as “my team.”
“We played really well offensively, we had opportunities, we shot ourselves in the foot, but we’ve moved the ball, we’ve run the ball well,” Kelce stated, which caught immediate attention from McAfee.
“A lot of ‘we’ talk out of Jason for Philly,” McAfee joked, leading Kelce to apologize several times during the broadcast.
This sparked further conversations about Kelce’s transition to broadcasting, especially since he has been a regular presence on ESPN. Ryan Clark, a former ESPN commentator who made his own successful shift from player to broadcaster, stepped in to defend Kelce.
Dufine is optimistic about Kelce’s potential in this field, saying in his interview that Kelce possesses a genuine understanding of the game.
“He sees the game really well,” Dufine expressed before the Jaguars-Eagles game in London, where Kelce served as a color commentator. “Just tell me what you’re seeing, and we’ll support you the best way we can throughout the course of the game.”
Kelce also sought to reassure Jaguars fans who were worried about biased commentary.
“I want to assure Jags fans I’ve seen a lot of the Jags accounts already saying they’re not looking forward to this,” Kelce mentioned on his “New Heights” podcast. “I will be doing my utmost to give you guys the credit you deserve. Jacksonville’s playing as good as any team right now in the AFC. I really do believe that.”
From Kelce’s viewpoint, everything seemed to go well during the game, even though the Eagles ended up losing after a critical late-game mistake, allowing the Jaguars to have a game-winning field goal chance as time ran out.
