WHAT WE LEARNED: NFL WEEK 16 – A Farewell to John Madden

BY ADAM GREENE

Tuesday, a man so synonymous with the NFL that the only video game licensed for its league and players is named for him passed away. John Madden died Tuesday morning. He was 85.

Madden was the head coach of just one NFL team — the Oakland Raiders. From 1969-1978 Madden piloted the Raiders to a 112-39-7 record, a 9-7 playoff mark and a Super Bowl XI Championship. He retired from coaching at 42 and his 75.9 regular season winning percentage is the best in NFL history for coaches with more than 100 games.

“Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable,” the Raiders said in a statement.

He never had a losing season as a head coach. The worse he ever finished was 9-7 in his final season in 1978. That, by itself, especially in the era he coached, would have probably been enough to put Madden in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But it was the next 30 years of his life that would make him a cultural icon. First, with CBS from 1979-1993, then Fox Sports from 1994-2001, ABC Sports from, 2002-2005 and NBC Sports from 2006-2008, Madden was the color voice of the NFL.

His telestrator use became something incorporated into every broadcast and many a turducken was awarded to players that received his MVP award on Thanksgiving broadcasts.

Generations of fans who never watched him storm across a sideline knew his voice from the sport they loved, or maybe more so, from the game they played. From 1988 to today, Madden’s name and likeness adorned the NFL’s premier video game. It’s currently the only one allowed to feature the actual teams, logos and players in the league.

It remains a consistent best seller and one of the biggest game releases of every year.

Madden was famous for his fear of flying. As such he traveled from game to game in his color analyst days in the Madden Cruiser, a decked out giant RV supplied by Greyhound.

Madden won 16 Emmy Awards, was named the NSMA National Broadcaster of the Year in 1984, won the 2002 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, was a bestselling author and a member of four different sports and broadcasting Halls of Fame.

“People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?” Madden once said. “I’m a coach, always been a coach.”

LEAGUE ADOPTS NEW COVID RULES…. AGAIN

After it was announced that the league was again hit with a plethora of COVID-19 cases, the NFL and NFLPA have once more decided to modify the rules in order to get teams as close to full strength on the field.

Since Dec. 13, as of this writing, 515 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19.

Under the new agreement, players who test positive for Covid only have to isolate for five days even if they’re unvaccinated, down from 10 days. To come off the Covid reserve list, unvaccinated players must be asymptomatic or “demonstrate that their symptoms are resolving,” whatever that means.

Vaccinated players can test out of the list at any point before the five days are up.

Players like Carson Wentz, whose vaccination status would have probably cost his team a spot in the playoffs, get a reprieve from the rules at least. Wentz still has a deadly virus that’s killed at least 842,161 of his fellow Americans. So there’s that.

If he can pass whatever hurdle the league and NFLPA have come up with before kickoff Sunday, he could possibly play against the Las Vegas Raiders. But I’m not counting on it.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

Here’s how the brackets break down heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) – Clinched AFC West

2. Tennessee Titans (10-5)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)

4. Buffalo Bills (9-6)

5. Indianapolis Colts (9-6)

6. New England Patriots (9-6)

7. Miami Dolphins (8-7)

Realistically in the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-7), Los Angeles Chargers (8-7), Las Vegas Raiders (7-7-1), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1), Cleveland Browns (7-8), Denver Broncos 7-8)

Officially eliminated: New York Jets (4-11), Houston Texans (4-11), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13)

Key games this week: Falcons at Bills, Chiefs at Bengals, Raiders at Colts, Dolphins at Titans, Rams at Ravens, Broncos at Chargers, Browns at Steelers

Regardless of what the math might say, Broncos at Chargers and Browns at Steelers are elimination games. The loser of those is out, realistically. The same can probably be said if the Ravens lose to the Rams. The Bengals can clinch the AFC North with a win over the Chiefs. The Dolphins probably have to knock off the Titans in Nashville to hold onto the seventh seed.

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers (12-3) – Clinched NFC North

2. Dallas Cowboys (11-4) – Clinched NFC East

3. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – Clinched playoff spot

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4) – Clinched NFC South

5. Arizona Cardinals (10-5) – Clinched playoff spot

6. San Francisco 49ers (8-7)

7. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)

Realistically in the hunt: Minnesota Vikings (7-8), Atlanta Falcons (7-8), New Orleans Saints (7-8)

Officially eliminated: Carolina Panthers (5-10), Chicago Bears (5-10), Seattle Seahawks (5-10), New York Giants (4-11), Detroit Lions (2-12-1)

Key games this week: Falcons at Bills, Eagles at WFT, Rams at Ravens, Cardinals at Cowboys, Vikings at Packers, Texans at 49ers

The Falcons have to win to even have a shot at playing their way into the postseason in Week 18. The Eagles can maybe stay in the bracket even with a loss, but a win all but seals the deal for them. The Rams with a win and Cardinals loss to the Cowboys clinch the NFC West. The Cowboys need that victory too to keep pace with the Packers, who could stumble once in the final two weeks and hand them the No. 1 seed. If the Vikings don’t get the upset over the Pack, they’re out of the mix and the 49ers find themselves in shaky territory with Trey Lance possibly starting against a dangerous Texans team. A loss in this game puts them outside the bracket with a game at the Rams to finish the season.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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