It’s always fun to listen to the commentary on the national broadcast whenever the Ravens are playing. Sometimes there are compliments, making us feel good about the reputation of our beloved team as they generate a national interest in their performance. Maybe it’s gratifying merely for the fact that these so called “experts” have positive things to say, solidifying opinions we’ve already had but weren’t so sure the rest of the country had made yet. Even when the feedback isn’t so wonderful, the national spotlight is invigorating and allows local fans to get a true taste of what the outside world is saying about the Baltimore Ravens.

With the addition of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden to the broadcast, ESPN has added more analytical prowess and eliminated a blabbering nobody by cutting Tony Kornheiser out of the picture (well, the sound). Combined with Ron Jaworski, the football knowledge and the ability to translate that into a smooth, enjoyable broadcast skyrocketed through the stadium’s non-existent roof.

For some that watched the game last night, mainly in the local market around Baltimore, you may not have been watching the national coverage of the game, choosing to stick with the local, Ravens-friendly commentary. I can’t help but agree with your decision because, as we have seen in the past, the game announcers for Monday Night Football have had a recent history of being slightly more than annoying. Whether it was the off-topic ramblings or the complete lack of coherent football observations, the chance of a preseason football game being delved into in detail was about as possible as Plaxico Burress getting a football contract this season.

But the fans who did catch the ESPN broadcast tonight should have been surprised to find that the mute button was not part of the kickoff tradition. Jon Gruden added a variable that Tony Kornheiser couldn’t bring to an NFL production, even in his dreams. His knowledge of the game lit up a demension that made it fun to listen to, easy to pay attention, and taught people a lot about players on both teams. It was also hard to overlook his excitement to have the opportunity to be part of the Monday Night Football crew. People seemed to have forgotten how respected a position on the MNF staff was, and Kornheiser’s sad attempts to fill in airtime with witty, off the wall comments only decreased the validity of anything that left his mouth or those of his co-workers.

But enough ragging on the past faceplants of a weekly, national break from the ugly start to the workweek. Monday Night Football seems to be back on track, as we heard first hand during the Ravens game. It didn’t seem to take much for Gruden and company to speak words of wisdom. While the gig of being a broadcaster for the most watched football program is not a walk in the park, it makes it a little easier when you have the awareness to know what NOT to say.

“Ray Rice has receiving skills.”

For being such a simple comment, the key point is that Ray Rice is a running back, therefore setting the impression that he is there

to open up the ground game for the offense. Little people realize how his ability to catch the ball and create another demension is something that the Ravens saw when they drafted him out of Rutgers. During the game against Washington last week, Rice had three receptions for 38 yards despite playing minimal time. Last season, his number of catches was almost 1/3 of how many rushing attempts he had. How many running backs in this league do you see catch a pass every three plays that they are directly involved?

Rice is fast in the open field, and his small frame helps him manuever through the defensive line to set up short passes over the top. While Kornheiser would have been more focused on how tiny Rice is, or how he enjoys the food that shares his name, Gruden and Jaworski introduced “Little Ray” as a solid halfback that has stolen the job from veteran Willis McGahee, not by favoritism, but through versatility and dedication.

“Ray Lewis makes you play differently.”

If Tony Kornheiser had made this statement during a game, it would have surely been to try to draw a cheap laugh form his colleagues and cover up his inability to explain WHY Ray Lewis makes an opponent play differently. Without the irritating rambling,

Jaworski found the time to fill the air space with a breakdown of Lewis’ impact on the way a team’s offense has to operate when he’s on the field. Lewis introduced Mark Sanchez to the league, and his first lesson was to show the rookie that you have to look off the linebackers just as you do the secondary. With the speed of the Raven’s defense, Sanchez was ineffective in the first quarter of the game, throwing a pick-six on the first drive of the game, and then hit Lewis in the chest with a pass on the next Jet’s possession. Some folks across the country may have written Lewis off as an aging, slowed linebacker who should consider hanging up the cleats. With a simple statement and a brief explanation by a knowledgable commentary team, Ray’s defensive dominance will have Jets fans, and hopefully others watching, aware of the leadership and physical impact he still brings to the defensive unit of Baltimore.

The humbling experience of being on the same side of the ball as Ray Lewis will also make a player perform differently. As we saw from Tavares Gooden, the man who has the ungodly deed of following in Bart Scott’s shoes, players seem to run faster, hit harder, and play smarter when standing next to Lewis. While Jaworski’s comment was not focused on the Raven’s players, it can be said that Lewis has an immediate affect on the play of his teammates.

“When you characterize Joe Flacco as just a pocket passer, you’re making a mistake.”

Because it was made on a national broadcast, it summed up perfectly an aspect of Flacco’s game and brought it to the attention of the rest of the league. Flacco came into last season as a rookie who wasn’t considered a running threat. Unfortunately for the Raven’s opponents, they quickly found out that catching Flacco on the run wasn’t as easy as they thought it might be. While he’s no Michael Vick (on the field, people), Flacco has taken teams by surprise with his under-the-radar… speed? Agility? Smoke and mirrors? Whatever it is, the NFL knows more about it, now that it has been brought to their attention by ESPN analysists.

While running has been an added bonus to Flacco’s arsinal, his mere ability to move out of the pocket to make a pass is well ahead of schedule, too. He can create something from nothing; it’s a skill that doesn’t always lead to the best of outcomes, but it definitely keeps the door open when trying to jumpstart an offense that has been stagnant for years. The Joe Flacco show is expanding from Baltimore with each national television broadcast, thanks primarily to the intelligence of the analysis during the game.

“The Raven’s defense rents space in your mind. They have the total package.”

With this statement, which also happens to be my favorite from the game, Jon Gruden further emphasized that his commentary

career could be on the rise as quickly as his stock as a head coach fell. Not only is it a great metaphor, as Jaws pointed out after he had said it, but it creates such a vivid image, illustrating the mental and physical power Ray Lewis and company bring when competing against the offense of the opposition. Even while the comment was made in the 2nd half, long after the 1st string defense had left the field for the night, there is nothing like a well-thought out compliment that can increase the respect a team gains from NFL fans. It’s also hard to look past the fact that the play of the 2nd and 3rd string players drew such praise from a coach that, at one time, was standing on the sidelines coaching a Superbowl team. That is worth more than any comments from an overly opinionated newspaper writer who seemed to be more focused on being funny than making valid points people were interesting in hearing.

ESPN improved their ability to make their commentary interesting enough to keep from turning the volume down. Instead of trying to force celebrities like Dennis Miller to attempt to sound knowledgeable, or bringing Kornheiser out from behind his Pardon The Interruption table as an attempt to increase viewer numbers, the MNF broadcast seems to have found the correct combination. The interaction was both fluid and entertaining, and the Mik Tirico, Gruden, and Jaworski combo seemed to have a lot of fun working together. Even though the broadcast was during a Ravens game, thus giving me more reason to sit back and watch a boring preseason game, I am looking forward to watching more Monday Night Football games without having to listen to commentary that drifts from the point.