You were reminded of it when you watched the "Monday Night Football" telecast of the New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers last week.

And it was evident again in the telecast Monday night of the Packers at Chicago Bears.

Jon Gruden, in his second season, may not completely dominate the ESPN booth, but he is the centerpiece of it.

He clearly is more comfortable with the technical aspects of his job and is leaning more into his commentary and analysis this season.

Gruden's presence and urgency, the energy of his observations, occupy the core of the "Monday Night Football" telecast. His analyst partner, Ron Jaworski, has not been rendered invisible by any means, but his contributions, the weight of what he does, are not on a level with Gruden's.

Gruden doles out praise using a front-end loader. He's a high-volume praiser.

He tossed plenty of laurels Green Bay's way during the telecast.

"I want to talk about Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers," Gruden said at the top of the game. "I don't think this guy gets enough credit. I mean every one of these offensive players for the Packers was drafted by Green Bay and developed by Mike McCarthy. His star pupil is his 27-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In Mike McCarthy's system, Rodgers had been flat-out unstoppable. . . .  They have averaged 30 points a game since Rodgers took over from Brett Favre. This combination of McCarthy and Rodgers is as good as there is in this business."

The former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach noted the depth the Packers have at receiver.

"A lot of people think James Jones and Jordy Nelson are the best third and fourth receivers in football," Gruden said.

Rodgers has made 35 starts in his career, but that's enough for Gruden to make a judgment about one part of his game.

"Aaron Rodgers - I think he might be one of the top red-zone quarterbacks I have ever seen," Gruden said. "This guy has a real feel for red-zone offense."

Gruden "likes" running back Brandon Jackson. He thinks Jermichael Finley is the "Big Cheese."

His praise wasn't confined to Packers players.

Bears defensive end Julius Peppers wasn't just having a good game.

"This guy is having the game of his life," Gruden said about Peppers.