Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
To be perfectly honest, if this happened three years ago I'd be ripping John Madden for allowing himself to finish his career as a bumbling, senile old man. I am sure Chad is already getting ready to blast me, but hold on. A few years ago John Madden had lost his fastball and stature as the preeminent football analyst in the country. It seemed like he was just showing up cold and going on air, but he's done more than just redeem himself over the past two seasons. Somehow he woke up and starting enjoying himself in the booth again. He returned to his old self and was doing a fantastic job analyzing the game. It was a great comeback in my mind, and made me enjoy listening to him in the booth. I no longer thought of him as the Joe Morgan (don't get me started on him) of football.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the younger generation only see him as the video game mogul. Being in my early thirties, I've grown up playing Madden games and have owned every single season since the franchise started. What you should remember John Madden for was not just his video games, and his time in the booth, but also his hall of fame coaching career with the Oakland Raiders.
He's really done it all in the game of Football from playing, coaching and analyzing. His smile, laugh and boom's will be sorely missed in the pantheon of sports. A literal giant of the game has ended his long and successful career and leaves huge shoes to fill. Thank you John Madden for a great career.
From what ESPN is saying, Chris Collinsworth is going to replace Madden in the booth, although that is really no surprise. NBC seems to love Collinsworth.
ReplyDeleteCollinsworth is a good choice, but there's no one out there to replace Madden's comedic value ... he didn't just explain the game, he made you crack up with some of the stuff -- yes, stupid at times -- that would come out of his mouth ... what will they do with the horse trailer? I wonder if it's officially retired, too?
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