Why do people think John Madden is so good?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:57 am

Check out this ode to Terrell Davis by John Madden at ESPN.com:
 
 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/madden/story?id=1418263
 
 It´s the typical "See Spot Run" bullshit from Madden, the most overrated simpleton in the booth today.
 
 Why do people think this guy is good? Why do they think he´s insightful?
 
 Madden is a master of the obvious who has parlayed his "Boom, bang, wow, it´s raining so the players are getting muddy" schtick into a 20-year career that´s beyond explanation for me.
 
 Take care,
 PK

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 11:11 am

I don´t get it either, Paul. The guy´s not a master communicator, that´s for sure. Maybe he´s endearing the way Yogi Berra is, I dunno.

blueseater · Post by **blueseater** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 11:58 am

That´s not a bad analogy, Tealboy. Madden has that folksy way of delivery that people think makes him so wonderful. He does know his football, but I get tired of his schtick by the second preseason game. And I usually turn off the commentary in his video games, too. Maybe part of the problem is that we are so used to dealing with him from video games, that when he is on tv for real, we have already had enough.
 Blue

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 12:13 pm

blue:
 I don´t like hearing the man talk. He overstates the obvious!
 But if you want to hear a GREAT impersonation of Madden, go to www.frankcaliendo.com. It´s scary! He was on a radio show I listen to not long ago, and called Troy Aikman, and Aikman didn´t know the difference!

grtwhtsk · Post by **grtwhtsk** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 2:59 pm

I think it´s like a sitcom or drama that people have watched for years, gotten comfortable with, and sometimes don´t realize that it´s going downhill. Then when we watch the reruns we realize how far the show went downhill. I think Madden has a lot to offer, and sometimes wish he would just "let go" with his thoughts rather than feeling he needs to "play a part."

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 3:48 pm

PK you have just put a pimple on the ass of MNF,I never really thought about Madden except for the video game and lite beer commercials,but dude really does suck! I now will be paying attention to what that idiot says thanks to you PK,lol. Did you catch the s*** about the horse trailer last night? He gets paid a knot to be a windbag,how do I get that job?

FloridaGators · Post by **FloridaGators** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 4:05 pm

Simply because people can relate to people that are simple. Madden´s X´s and O´s aren´t overly complicated or filled with football lingo like other color guys. Instead, Madden makes it easy to listen and understand, he puts the NFL life in couch potato terms.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 4:28 pm

Would you say then that Madden is commentator-lite...ie you can listen to him if your only knowledge of the game is being slumped in front of the telly ?
 
 I must admit that Madden was the commentator when NFL games first started being shown in the UK, so I´ve learnt a lot about the game from him, having never donned a set of pads in my life other than to play cricket.
 
 I have noticed that as my knowledge increased, he has become a bit like a stuck record.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 4:36 pm

Dave:
 
 Good to see you, mate. Have you recovered from City´s shellacking Saturday yet? My Magpies pounded the Hammers -- four goals in 30 minutes!
 
 Anyways, you´re a wise man. Madden gets older than Grandpa´s buckskin rubber after about two seasons. His schtick never changes, and he really offers no insight that regular viewers of games haven´t heard 15 times before.
 
 Stick around, mate!
 
 Take care,
 PK

JesseM · Post by **JesseM** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 3:40 pm

So the consensus is that Madden is past his prime, fair enough (Although I will always have a special place in my heart for the man who invented the word "Cankle"). <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
 
 But if we want to pick on overrated, annoying, completely useless announcers...
 Shouldn´t we talk about Bill Walton? His commentary is so banal, so monotonous, it made it a chore to watch the NBA playoffs this year. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_mad.gif">

NoJoke · Post by **NoJoke** » Thu Aug 22, 2002 1:34 pm

what bothered me about madden is when he and summerall were assigned to same team 4 or 5 times a year, like back in the cowboy days. He would repeat the same tired praise of Emmitt and Aikman week in and week out.
 
 Hopefully on MNF, he´ll provide a little more variety because he won´t always be doing the late game for the NFC.