John Madden’s Missed Tackles

John Madden’s Missed Tackles

As he prepares to serve as color analyst for the Super Bowl for the 11th time, NBC’s John Madden has become the voice, if not the walking embodiment, of the National Football League. At more than $4 million a year, he’s one of the world’s highest-paid sportscasters.

But as exalted as his position has become, and as beloved as he is, Mr. Madden has, at times this season, struggled with the facts. In statements made during several recent NBC broadcasts, Mr. Madden, who is 72, has misjudged the number of times NFL teams execute running plays from the shotgun formation, attributed two offensive strategies to a team whose players deny using them and misstated how often the San Diego Chargers call pass plays.

wsj.com
1/30/09