John Madden on penalties, NFL in London and more
PLEASANTON, Calif. -- John Madden is still on top of his game, 78 and sharp as ever. There is no one better at distilling the league's emerging trends and teams at the season's halfway point than the pro football sage with the eagle eye for seeing things the average fan misses.
The Hall-of-Fame coach and iconic analyst sat down with Paste BN Sports Sunday inside his 8,000-square-foot East Bay area studio watching 10 games unfold on the wall of flat screens.
Madden still studies the game as if he's going back to the booth every Sunday.
He'll switch from one of the nine, 63-inch flanking flat screens to the giant 16-by-23 foot projection screen on the wall of monitors.
What jumped out from nearly eight hours of watching football was Madden's peerless vision for peering well beyond the here and now and mapping the bigger picture.
Madden sees the landscape changing like autumn leaves. He points out the precise reason why we're seeing so many more screen passes than ever before.
Because tight ends have become such athletic receiving threats that they rarely block so the preponderance of bubble, smoke and middle screen passes have effectively replaced the traditional outside running game.
Just like that, Madden takes one play and traces the links to a chain.
Five years removed from calling his last game for NBC, Madden is still the smartest guy in the room, the football analyst's football analyst and the guy you want to be sitting beside on a Sunday so you can see the league in a way you never have before.
Here are some of Madden's observations:
"Look at how the Patriots' right tackle (Sebastian Volmer) is 2 yards back," Madden says of the V-shaped offensive formation. "That will be a point of (officiating) emphasis in the next two weeks."
Are defensive backs penalized too harshly with this season's crackdown on pass interference and defensive holding?
Madden thought so. Then, he had dinner with fellow Hall-of-Famer Don Shula two weeks ago.
"Don was the one coach on the competition committee for 18 years back when they put in the 5-yard chuck rule,'' Madden says, referencing the 1978 change. "They were worried the game needed more scoring. This is the game our forefathers wanted. And Don Shula is one of our forefathers.
"It's hard to argue it's hurt the popularity.''
What's the future in Los Angeles and London?
"They won't have a team in London before Los Angeles,'' adding, "I don't think that London thing can ever work.''
What's the solution to ensuring better quality Thursday night games?
Every team should have two byes, including a Sunday off before playing Thursday.
"Thursday night football is here to stay. So we're looking at ways to make it safer,'' Madden said. "Now they're playing division games so you limit travel. Now the question is, should you play Sunday night before a Thursday night?''
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton railed about how unfair that scenario is.
"Should they be able to have more players available on their (46-man) active roster? Think about the enormity of the games, divisional games. Is it better to have your Thursday night game early or later in the year?''
When Manning vs. Brady 16 fails to live up to the hype, Madden blames our Instagram society:
"We declare too many things prematurely like who's the best team now,'' Madden said. "That's the great thing about the NFL: The minute you think you know, you don't.
"Sunday morning, if you asked me who was the best team, I would have said, 'The Denver Broncos.' Now you can't say Denver because of what New England did to them (43-21 rout). Now you would say it's New England. Or Arizona.
"But there's no parade for whoever is best now.''
Madden believes the best teams emerge post-Thanksgiving.
"The Cowboys were crowned the best team in football two weeks ago,'' Madden said. "That was premature.''
Tony Romo's contused surgically-repaired back shrouds their playoff chances.
"They have to be concerned,'' Madden said. "There's no way to know when he'll be okay.''
Are the NFL-best, 7-1 Cardinals for real?
"Bruce Arians has done a hell of a job,'' Madden said. "They have the receivers, the running back. Carson Palmer is playing well. What's overlooked is that defense.
"Todd Bowles is going to be a head coach.''