Jason Kelce kept doing what told him not to do. On Monday Night Countdown, he praised the Cleveland Browns after their move to 4-2 and into first place in the AFC North, then slipped back into the kind of language the network has been trying to pull out of him.
Kelce did not hedge. “The Cleveland Browns are the top of the AFC North,” he said, then added, “I’m from Cleveland. We’ve been waiting for this moment, fellas. We’re finally here.” He followed with, “We’re leading it, baby. We’re 4-2. We just beat the Ravens. That never happens,” and, “We are 4-2, and we’re doing it.”
That is why the moment landed. Kelce, who was born in Westlake, Ohio, grew up in the Cleveland area and played college football at Cincinnati, has long made no secret of where his sports loyalties sit. He and Travis Kelce have also shown up at Cleveland sports events, including Cavaliers appearances, which only makes his on-air language easier for viewers to read as hometown instinct rather than detached analysis.
The problem for is that the instinct keeps showing up on live television. The network has tried to get Kelce to stop saying “we” when he talks about teams on air, and this was not the first time he has let it slip. After Philadelphia lost to the Chicago Bears, he repeated the same wording, drew a joke from Pat McAfee, and later apologized to Bears supporters. Ryan Clark defended him, arguing that 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles gave him every right to keep speaking that way, while Jeff Dufine said the crew is still trying to break the habit.
For now, the habit is still there, and it may come back soon. Kelce’s next commentary assignment is Week 7, when the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France in Paris. can keep reminding him to say “they,” but if the Browns keep winning, the harder task may be getting Kelce to sound like anyone but a fan who never really left home.
