Addition by Subtraction

Sunday night football has made a metamorphosis of sorts; it has changed for better or for worse. Thirty-five years ago, Monday night football started and became one of the greatest things in sports today, but in the last eight years ABC has lost about $150 million a year on Monday nights. Ratings for this sports phenomenon have been slowly sloping downwards and viewers have one by one dropped off. Does ESPN really have what it takes to get the ball rolling again on Monday nights?

I think that they have already made a bad choice. John Madden has been the voice of Monday Night football since 2002, but has he begun to age a bit past his prime? More and more he has shown traits that aren’t to be shown in NFL announcers yet he gets away with it. Last week in the Colts game against the Giants it was more than obvious that Madden was blatantly pulling Peyton Manning and his team. He couldn’t stop crediting Peyton and his 'perfect passing', not once did he credit Eli for completions, first downs, not even touchdowns.

Although Madden is and forever will be one of the greatest announcers that ever lived, maybe it's about time that he sat a few plays out. As Al Michaels announces the game John Madden commentates about action on the sideline and criticizes or praises plays in which there is no need. The supply of John Maddens in this world are limited in quantity, but don't let that take away from judgment decisions upstairs in terms of quality. And hey, if they really need someone to fill in, I'm opne on Mondays.