I’m sad to see him go. He was occasionally inane, but mostly quite knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining. Good luck, John!
Quite frankly, good riddance. He’s been a bumbling idiot for a number of years, and the few times he says something meaningful, it’s something I already know. I imagine for people who aren’t as knowledgeable about the game as I am may still find those insights useful, but overall I think his last 10 years or so has really tainted commentary and painted the way for some true morons (like Joe Buck, who was mentioned upthread).
I often found him unbearable and much prefered to tune into the local commentary who are at least as knowledgeable about the game. Beyond that, they’re specifically more knowledgeable about the 'Skins, and it made the game more entertaining because it was nice to actually not have impartial commentary and hear them get excited when they are playing well; it helped me get more into the game.
But back on John Madden, even sometimes he’d say stuff that was so stupid it made ME feel embarassed. There is, of course the aforementioned “whoever scores the most points quote”. But I also specifically remember one that’s just as bad: “When they put #65 in at Tight End, it’s either going to be a run or a pass”. Really? I’m glad that I can count out the pooch punt. But sure, I suppose even those are forgivable, since it is live TV and he’ll make gaffs.
The part I find most unforgivable were when he’d spend time rambling about stuff that isn’t related to the game and I’d miss a play. I remember one game where the camera focused on a movie theater next to the stadium, and he started talking about the movies that were playing (all the while circling everything) and I missed a couple plays. I’m fine with talking about unrelated stuff, even if it’s really stupid, but damnit don’t make me miss the whole reason I’m watching.
So yes, please, bring in Chris Collinsworth. He’s at least as knowledgable, less annoying, and isn’t senile either.
Hallelujah! I can’t stand listening to him talk, and have been hoping for his retirement for years. Happy day for me.
This part is getting more and more endemic to the game. It’s as if the announcers forget that they are not the reason that the public is watching/listening. Oftentimes, discussions of totally irrelevant material use up substantial portions of the broadcast, while the game goes on. The announcers often act as if the chore of actually reporting what is happening during the game is an annoying interruption. These episodes run the gamut from the now predictable efforts to promote the network’s entertainment product by interviewing stars in the booth, or showing them at the game, to the extremely annoying bottom-of-the-7th visit to the Cubs booth by whoever it was that sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the stretch. I always turn the sound down during the bottom of the 7th of a home Cubs game and hope for the Cubs to go 1-2-3 that inning. :rolleyes:
There was a time announcers announced what was happening during the game. Some were more competent at this than others, but by and large, they did the job. Color commentary tended to be focused and precise, as well as limited. Sadly those days are no more. John Madden’s recent tendency towards dwelling on the irrelevant was part and parcel to what the industry has decided to offer us any more: an entertainment product packaged around some sporting event. :mad:
Fearless prediction: The Onion runs a story about how the MNF Tour Bus is retiring.
I like Madden. His “If you wanna catch the ball you gotta get your hands on it” type comments gave me and my friends something to joke about and his voice is so familiar it’s the default football announcer voice I think of when I think of football. I’ll miss hearing him during games.
Note that it doesn’t say he’s going to shut up. It only says he’s retiring. 
As I’ve said earlier…
I NEVER hated John Madden. In the history of football, there have only been two commentators I truly hated, only two guys who were SO bad I would turn down the volume on the TV and listen to commentary on radio.
Dennis Miller and Howard Cosell are the ONLY football commentators I’ve truly loathed.
Other than those two, most football commentators have been amiable wastes of space. Troy Aikman and Phil Simms are typical of the breed. Both smart guys, both likable guys, both adequately articulate… but neither has ever told me ANYTHING about football that I didn’t already know. Neither has ever taught me ANYTHING that only a former NFL player would know. Neither has evert shared a great aneccote that would help me understand what it’s like out there on the field.
Neither man is terrible. I’m not calling for either man to be fired. I merely note that, like most of their colleagues, they could be replaced with recent broadcasting school graduates, who’d be MUCH cheaper and wouldn’t offer any less insight.
Now, for young folks, this is hard to believe, but back in the Eighties, John Madden was abreath of fresh air. He was knowledgeable, he was opinionated, he was lively, he was VERY good at predicting what play would come next. He was, by far, the best color analyst in the business.
But he seems to have lost interest in his job over 15 years ago. At that point, he STILL had his schtick, his catch phrases and his mannerisms, but he stopped doing his homework, and it showed. For at least 15 years, Madden has been just another mediocre analyst. Still a likeable guy, but NOT a guy who taught me anything about the game.
When Madden split up with Pat Summerall, I hoped he’d improve. In reality, SUMMERALL improved a good deal! Madden stayed on auto-pilot.
Unlike some other people here, I’m not saying “good riddance.” Unfortunately, I’m not saddened, either. I WOULD have been, once upon a time.
How… could… you hate… Howard… Co… sell?
“And then kinda out, too, and then…that’s probably because it’s a…a cantilever. This is a cantilever field. And, yaknow, ‘cantilever’ I think means this stuff where we’ve got this overhang. See, I think…I think when you go up and come out like that, that means ‘cantilever’…or that’s what ‘cantliever’ means. And we got a cantilever stadium here and…and then we’re up above in the cantilever…the cantilever’s over our head and we’re up above lookin’ down.” - John Madden rambling during a game at the University of Washington.
I’ll miss madden. =(
He taught me about Football quite a bit, otherwise I’d have no clue what was going on in each of those plays…
T’was his greatest strength and weakness stating the obvious…
I suppose that could be a tough line to straddle. I dunno, I’m no commentator.
I remember Hearing Jerry Glanville describe an offset I as an I formation that’s offset. He seemed to be talking down to the audience as well, which seemed to be Jerry’s best ability…
Figures he’d retire right when I’d reconciled myself to him. I hated Madden for a good long stretch there (I’ve only really known him in his softer years), but then this past season I wound up watching a number of games with people who knew next to nothing about football, and to my chagrin I realized that everything I was trying to explain to them was being said better by Madden’s voice on the TV.
Emasculating as that may have been, it also made me realize that he wasn’t necessarily announcing for me; he was announcing for the (much) more casual fans, who didn’t necessarily have the knowledge base that I did. I imagine that in his heyday, Madden’s strength was that he could announce for those people while still balancing it with more intricate game knowledge for the hardcore fans, but it’s fair to say that the ratio was tipping more towards the cushy in the later years. Still, I had to admit that there was a place for it, and of course as soon as I admitted it to myself, the jerk retired.
I always rather liked Madden, even up to the end. He was pleasant to listen to, and he was one of the (very) few commentators to discuss line play. I have very fond memories of his years with Pat Summerall; it really did feel like a big game with those two in the booth.
The common criticism of the Madden/Michaels tandem was that they were good in a close game between quality teams, but would let their attention wander in blowouts or meaningless contests. That was true to some extent, but it never bothered me. I find both of them to be likable presences, and listening to them shoot the shit about football players from 20 years ago is preferable to announcing the 4th quarter of a blowout like it’s WW3.
Anyways, point is he’ll be missed.
I learned to accept Madden as my slightly tipsy old friend that came with me to the game. He brought warmth and a dash of silliness to a game that lends itself to slow pacing.
Sure, he was the master of stating the obvious, and his sentence construction was deconstructed…but I enjoyed him. And every once in a while, he would come up with very insightful observations…sometimes about the game itself!
I for one will miss him. I can watch the game and follow it pretty well myself. He added the color.
Madden made some great commercials back in the day too.
It’s interesting that when I was groing up, he was known as this really firey personality. Storming around and yelling.
I will not miss him - and apparently have not been watching long enough to remember him during the good years.
I’m old enough to remember when Madden was a fresh, original voice. I enjoyed him during the early 1980’s. He went over the top some time around the Bears Super Bowl season (1985), when he was on every other TV commercial and started talking more about the all-Madden team than the game. (“Yeah, this guy’s my kind of player, he’s got blood on his jersey and snot coming out of this nose . . . He’s trying to make the all-Madden team!”)
Come to think of it, Dick Vitale went over the top at about the same time.
I liked Cossell and Miller. They did not treat the game as holy. Howard pointed out the part of the game the fan never thought of. Yje ugly business side. I liked Miller on football. I hated Madden. He would say thing that were so obvious ,that I wondered if he was ever embarrassed afterwards. Whoever comes in will be more insightful and interesting.
Nitpick – it wasn’t the turducken, it was the six-legged turkey, right?
Not much to say about Madden that others haven’t already said. I didn’t feel the hate for him that lots of other folks have expressed (I’d much rather listen to Madden than Joe Buck) but yeah I think it was time for him to go.