John Madden Doesn’t Want To See 1 Thing From NFL Broadcasts This Fall

On Thursday night, legendary NFL head coach and broadcaster John Madden gave his thoughts on the upcoming season.

Instead of talking about things from his perspective as a coach, he offered comments from his time as an analyst. He spoke with Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli, via the Athletic.

During the conversation, Madden noted a significant change he noticed when he went from the sideline to the broadcast booth. Madden said he noticed the change in sound after his transition to the booth.

According to Gaudelli, Madden suggested NFL broadcasts highlight those changes this fall. If fans aren’t able to attend, he thinks broadcasts should focus on the change in sound, rather than pump in fake crowd noise.

Here’s what Gaudelli told The Athletic, via Pro Football Talk:

“He said, ‘When I first left the coaching profession and went to broadcasting, there was something about it that I just felt was missing and I couldn’t really put my finger on it.’ He said, ‘Then I realized that I wasn’t hearing the sound that I had grown accustomed to hearing — as a player and as a coach. I never coached from the box, I coached from the field.’ He said to me, ‘Fred, you’re going to hear things that even you have never heard, so I’d be really trying to figure out how to best capture those sounds, and present them to the audience and not worry as much about artificial sound.’”

It’s a unique take from the former head coach, who is used to hearing the crowd noise up close and personal.

However, events like “The Match” between Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady have been heralded for their access to the players.

The 2020 football season could give fans similar access.