It’s been almost two seasons without the legendary breakdowns of John Madden in the booth, so it was sweet nostalgia Tuesday when he gave one of his classic assessments of Sunday’s Packers-Eagles game upon request while on a conference call primarily to discuss his role as co-chair of the league’s Player Safety Advisory Panel with fellow Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott.

“The ironic thing about this game is that these are two good offenses, but both of these teams are lousy in the short yardage, goal line, red zone,” surmised Madden, who at first joked that his analyst’s cap was also retired before indulging.

He then added that from what he’s witnessed, he feels that Green Bay’s offense has a tendency to get nervous when it’s that close to the end zone.

“They’re running fake quarterback sneaks, which means that they don’t really have confidence in that area,” said Madden.

And while Madden focused on the offense, Lott — one of the best players to ever roam the secondary — was understandably partial to his side of the field when asked for his thoughts on the matchup.

“I’m always curious about who can take care of the ball, but more importantly who is able to take the ball away,” said Lott, adding that the Packers’ Charles Woodson has been his favorite player to watch over the past decade. “It usually comes down to that in the playoffs, and we’re talking about two defenses who can do that.”

Posted in: Sidelines  | comments  |