Boom!
Just like that, an NFL icon will no longer be a part of the game that he so dearly loves.
No, John Madden isn't dead, but his retirement from NFL broadcasting leaves a void so immeasurable that you feel like someone should be planning a wake. Knowing that this broadcasting icon will no longer be in the booth on the national stage has the same feel as when Johnny Carson announced his decision to leave his craft.
I don't remember the NFL without Madden. From the time I started watching the NFL in 1976, he has always been there. Super Bowl XI was the first Super Bowl that I watched on TV, and I remember seeing this large, long haired man wearing clothes to small for him pacing the sidelines throwing his hands in the air and yelling.
He was captivating to watch, and has been ever since. From his days with Pat Summerall on FOX to his time with Al Michaels on ABC and NBC, this legend was a pillar on Sundays. You expected him to be there much like you expect to see teeth every time you open your mouth in the mirror.
When he spoke, you could feel his knowledge of the game hitting you like a hard spring rain. "If you see a defense team with dirt and mud on their backs, they've had a bad day." Or, "Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear."
His words and insights, while simple and sometimes obvious, gave the TV viewer a unique look at a player, team, or issue. His views sometimes did seem quite apparent, but their simplicity, to me, was a breath of fresh air.
There was also something about his voice coinciding with the telestrator that brought magic to the TV screen. He would either use lines, circles, and/or arrows to dissect a play right after it happened or he'd draw a circle around a bird that was on the field. Either way, he had his love for the game and the viewers first and foremost on his mind and in his heart.
At times, he would bring a peerless observation that would come out of left field and leave you laughing at how evident it was, but then it would come back at you like a boomerang and slap you in the neck. "Hey, the offensive lineman are the biggest guys on the field, they're bigger than everybody else, and that's what makes them the biggest guys on the field."
When I heard today that Madden was retiring, I was stunned. Not that a 73-year-old had decided to step down from his illustrious career, but more at the timing of it. Why not announce that this season will be your last and then have one last "tour" to give fans, viewers, and players their chances to pay tribute to him.
But, that isn't John Madden. He sees the game, which he became a part of 42 years ago, and his family (he's been married to the same woman for 50 years) as bigger than himself.
"You know at some point you have to do this -- I got to that point. The thing that made it hard is not because I'm second-guessing, 'Is it the right decision?' But I enjoyed it so damn much. I enjoyed the game and the players and the coaches and the film and the travel and everything."
In honor of Madden, let me say that the NFL with John Madden isn't going to be the same as an NFL without John Madden.
