ESPN's new 'Monday Night Football' announce team appears to be set

ESPN originally pursued Peyton Manning to join its revamped "Monday Night Football" announce team. The WorldWide Leader wound up settling on two analysts with far less name recognition.

It was reported over the weekend that former LSU standout Booger McFarland, who's recently appeared on the lowly rated "Get Up," will join MNF as a field analyst. It was announced last week Cowboys tight end Jason Witten would be the broadcast's lead color man alongside play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore. Lisa Salters will remain in the sideline reporter role, per the Athletic's Richard Deitsch. 

ESPN remade its MNF team this offseason following Jon Gruden's departure to the Raiders. The network moved Sean McDonough back to college football and promoted Tessitore to take his place behind the mic. The NFL reportedly thought McDonough was too critical on the broadcasts. In an interview with "Kirk & Callahan," McDonough said he didn't enjoy his time calling one of the iconic telecasts in all of sports, citing MNF's recent underwhelming schedule.

The poor play on the field, more than anything else, has been the main problem with MNF in recent years. It would've been far splashier for ESPN to attract Manning or another big name, but the truth is, announcers have little impact on the ratings. If the games are good, people will tune in. Witten's and McFarland's collective lack of star power should have little impact on how MNF performs this upcoming season.

The bigger question surrounding them –– and Witten in particular –– is their lack of experience. Tony Romo's smashing success in his rookie season as an analyst likely played a role in ESPN's willingness to immediately thrust his ex-teammate into such a prominent position. But Romo's announcing chops, of course, have nothing to do with Witten. It's apparent Romo is a tireless worker and has a keen eye. Those natural traits are the primary reasons he enjoyed so much critical acclaim last year. 

But those are performance questions that would've applied to Manning as well. They're far more important than name recognition or springtime buzz.