Jon Gruden Cool With The Booth

Despite being considered for numerous coaching vacancies, Jon Gruden signed a multi-year deal to stay with ESPN

By EAMONN BRENNAN

Updated 12:50 PM CST, Tue, Nov 17, 2009

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Jon Gruden must really like his new job.

The newest Monday Night Football broadcaster has had a shaky start to his television career, but that hasn't stopped Gruden from apparently deciding, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, that he'd like to stay in the booth for a few more years. Gruden signed a multi-year deal with the network which will keep him in the broadcast booth for the near future. As Gruden might say, this guy LOVES to CALL FOOTBALL GAMES. GOL-LY. That is TREMENDOUS.

That's Gruden's signature style thus far in his young broadcasting career: enthusiasm. Blind enthusiasm. Enthusiasm for everything and everyone that has ever been involved with professional football in any way, shape or form. TREMENDOUS. Just LOOK at that EFFORT, Jaws. Etc. After a while, you either get inured to all the love, and enthusiasm stops meaning anything to you ... or your ears begin to bleed. Pick your poison. ("Jaws, did you SEE the way he PICKED THAT POISON?! HA-HA! YOU HAVE GOT TO LOVE THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE!!")

But if this decision was unexpected, it's not because Gruden is shaky in the booth. (Which, despite the rare flash of competency, he is.) Gruden was expected by many to return to coaching this offseason. His name has been tied to the Redskins, and he's been long-rumored to be on Notre Dame's all-time pipe dream short list, probably just a notch below Florida's Urban Meyer for Irish boosters. And with all the impending vacancies in the NFL this offseason, Gruden could have had his pick of the litter.

Instead, he'll return to Monday Night Football, where his primary function is to be really loud and joyful. There are worse jobs in the world. But we can't help but think the Super Bowl winner could be doing more good -- for a football team, for our earlobes, and for Ron Jaworski's sanity -- coaching.

Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. He is the editor of Yahoo! Sports's college basketball blog The Dagger and a contributor to Inside The Hall. Follow him at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com, or on Twitter.