ESPN's Kenny Mayne Is Funny, but Is He Selling Himself Short by Sticking With Humor?

Notes on a trip to the Super Bowl.

I talked to several ESPN employees this week who said they were looking forward to Kenny Mayne's final Mayne Event segment of the season on the pre-Super Bowl edition of NFL Countdown. Here it is:

In my opinion, Mayne is funnier than the other NFL pregame comedian, Fox's Frank Caliendo, although the above wasn't one of his funnier pieces. Everyone at ESPN seems proud to have Mayne as part of the Worldwide Leader's NFL coverage.

But here's my question: Is Mayne selling himself short by doing comedy? Mayne has the credentials to be a real, Xs and Os football analyst. He played quarterback at UNLV and was briefly under contract to the Seattle Seahawks. He knows how to read defenses and break down coverages and do the things that Ron Jaworski does.


If Mayne likes being known as the NFL Countdown funnyman, more power to him. But I'd love to see him keep the sense of humor while adding some solid, Jaws-style analysis.