John Madden retires

NFL News Feed: Collinsworth Named Madden's Successor - The League at washingtonpost.com (http://views.washingtonpost.com/theleague/nflnewsfeed/2009/04/collinsworth-named-maddens-successor.html?hpid=topnews)

I saw the story when I walked in the door after work and thought the guy was dead! Needless to say, I was happy to hear he was only retiring. I always thought he was a good commentator and original. I hate seeing these Madden wannabe's (Bill Maas especially).

While Madden was revolutionary in his time, his style of announcing had grown anachronistic in my opinion, his oversimplified analyses incongruent with the sophistication of your average NFL fan today. His was an approach born in an era in which ESPN and 24 hour sports shows and detailed football simulations didn't exist; in which the average fan didn't have access to the amount and quality of information that is available today. Thus he broke the arcane minutiae of professional football down into terms that your grandmother and mailman could understand, and this made him the biggest show in town in the 80's.

The problem is, members of my generation have been playing video games and obsessing over ESPN and internet statistics all of our lives, and as a result have a level of understanding of the game that would have been impossible for anyone not working in it 25 years ago. So we don't need to be spoken to as if we are 6 years old watching our first game with pops, who is trying to teach us the rules. That's why I think younger people were often so annoyed by Madden, who seemed to assume that they knew jack about the game.

In many ways Collinsworth is the antithesis of this. He assumes that his audience knows almost as much about football as he does, and usually he's right. Don't get the hate for him in this thread at all, I'm really looking forward to hearing him with Michaels next year.

The guy cracks me up; sure he's gotten older and isn't what he used to be, but all sports have had this. Though many people say he's lost it and only says obvious things, there were always a few games a year I'd catch when he explained something very well and I'd learn a bit more about the game of football. He's one of the people I'd like to sit back with a beer and listen to his stories. Hope he enjoys his retirement.

Don't laugh, but Matt Millen was a pretty good announcer.

Here's another good link.

Eye On Sports Media: Breaking News: Madden Retires from Broadcasting (http://sportsontheair.blogspot.com/2009/04/breaking-news-madden-retires-from.html)

Millen will be back on tv very soon

Might Madden be on Davis' mind? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/17/SPS8173O5H.DTL)

Anybody think this could happen? How do you think he would do?

i cant see the old man coming back for the grind of a long season. plus, the N.F.L is totally different from when he coached.

I don't think it would be in coaching. Maybe a front office position?


And good morning D. Raining up your way?

I think he's already ruled out taking on any sort of front office position.

Might Madden be on Davis' mind? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/17/SPS8173O5H.DTL)

Anybody think this could happen? How do you think he would do?
No chance in hell hahahahahha