By now, most of you have heard that John Madden has decided to retire after more than 25 years of broadcasting. While Madden was a likable enough guy, his on-air schtick has been overrated, over the top and over-appreciated for years and calling a career was the right move.

Sure, Madden knew the game like few others, but his inability to articulate his thoughts in a concise manner have been overlooked for years. When he first burst onto the broadcasting scene with CBS back in the 1980s, his unique style was fresh and unlike anything heard before which helped separate him from the countless others who simply followed the blueprint of broadcasters before them. But instead of being progressive with that one-of-a-kind style and looking to continually develop it and perfect his craft, Madden seemed to have peaked out years ago and has since been regurgitating the same ole material for the last couple decades. So, while he did help bring back terms like "Boom" and "Bang" that haven't been that overused like that since the "Batman" TV show, he also brought us a nine-legged Turducken every year and nailed the obvious points of every game he covered. Throw in some scribbling on a telestraitor and that was Madden in a nutshell 

He's one of those guys you either loved or hated. I personally was in the latter group, although "hate" is too strong of a term. I guess I just didn't appreciate his "regular guy" routine and his master-of-the-obvious commentary like so many others did.

John Madden has retired from broadcasting so he won't be providing commentary on NFL games this year. There you go John, that was my tribute to you in true John Madden fashion.

For those of you who can't get enough of the big ole announcer, I leave you with a few of his best quotes:       

“When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to.”

“The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break.”

“Hey, the offensive linemen 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.”

"To get more yards, it's best to move the ball from the line of scrimmage down the field."

(Or my personal favorite)
"Usually the team with the most points wins the game."

Good-bye to John Madden, you won't soon be forgotten. I'll remember you every time I see someone eating a drumstick and every time I hear someone say something that was totally obvious to everyone around him.