All Madden: Hey, I'm Talking Pro Football

by Dave Anderson, John Madden

You used to turn on a television set and you'd see Reggie White in a green uniform and you'd say, "Oh, the Eagles are playing." Or you'd see Joe Montana in a red uniform under the center and you'd say, "Oh, the 49ers are playing." But now you have to remind yourself that Reggie's with the Packers. And you had to check to see if Joe was in a 49ers uniform or a Chiefs uniform. You don't know who's playing for which team. Or who's going to be back next season.Once when I was a kid I was walking by John Henry Johnson, the 49ers' fullback, after a game. A woman ran up behind him and squealed, "John Henry! John Henry!" and went to kiss him. He turned around, all sweaty and dirty, but his teeth were in his locker. "Arrrggghhh!" she screamed and ran away across the field. But he looked like John Henry to me, like the toughest guy I'd ever seen.

Everything comes to an end, but Don Shula deserved a classier way to exit. He took too much ridicule in Miami his last few seasons. He stood for everything that was good about football, everything that was good about being a coach, everything that was good about being a man. I hated to see him stripped of all that.

A Cowboys defensive end, Daniel Stubbs, came to practice every day with this huge sandwich made of two fried eggs, sausage, bacon, and cheese on Texas toast. When we took it to a clinic to be analyzed, one of their doctors wouldn't even touch it. He used tongs to pick it up. "It's got more saturated fat and cholesterol, " he said, "than just about anything we've ever analyzed here!" So, of course, I made it the All-Madden Sandwich.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jimmy Pallotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was similar, I assume, to developing a Time Machine; reading a memoir discussing events only up to 1996 when it was released. I was not even born when Madden was writing his stories, but he is THE voice and face of pro-football. As a football coach myself, this book is nearly a required reading, and as entertaining as Madden was before he died, I am very glad I read it and can check this off my list.

Sometimes I question how I go about working with my athletes, I have a background as a player and studied Sociology and Communications in college, so I tend to take a softer approach instead of berating mistakes. To me is seems less accepted (maybe it is the coaches around me) but ultimately I try to be 100% genuine, so I stick with my soft approach.

Madden, to my surprise, is similar even though he stopped coaching over 25 years before I strapped on pads for the first time in youth football. Even as animated as he could be on the sidelines, Madden still wanted to know what his players FELT.

Overall my takeaway is there may never be again someone so devoted to the game and making it fun and accessible for everyone. That is true love.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no question in my mind that John Madden is the best color commentator for NFL football that has ever donned a headset. It is a tribute to Madden and Anderson that this book reads just like Madden sounded. It is very easy to conjure up audio fantasies where you hear Madden saying what is in this book.
While there are a few digressions, this is almost exclusively a book about NFL football. All aspects of the game, from the hard-nosed battles on the line of scrimmage, to how he learned to be a football announcer, the movement of franchises, to his opinions about the high salaries that are now an integral part of the game. Only rarely does Madden say anything that can be construed as a negative comment about others.
The most interesting topic in the book is about the legendary coach Vince Lombardi. Lombardi was discussing the famous Lombardi Sweep in a seminar, the signature running play of the Green Bay Packers. In Lombardi’s world, his team should be so efficient at running the play that it would be successful even when the other team knew that it was coming. Madden states that Lombardi spoke for eight hours about that one play.
Another significant point is made about Hall of Fame center Jim Otto. Unlike many other players, when it was clear that he made a mistake, rather than let it pass, Otto would say, “Run it again.” He would often ask to see it five or six times so that he could completely dissect his mistake.
A great and light-hearted book about NFL football, this is Madden at his best, coming across as a genuine guy with a love for a game that has made him famous and successful.

[Braden DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is all madden is is a very good book. It talks about how john made up his plays. And what he used to call the plays. And talks about how he got good at coaching and how to beat cover 2 cover 3 cover 4. I would recomed this book to any body that like sports or just like john madden.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is now a huge nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers John Madden calling pro football games back in the day. It’s John Madden, telling stories and explaining how he sees football. It’s a very fun read.

[Lupe Tovar · Rating 3 out of 5]

All madden by the long tailed legend himself, john madden, is a great book about NFL and the greatest moments about football. I really enjoyed this book and what caught my attention was when it detailed john madden's carrer himself and how football became world-wide becuase of him. I would request this book to others who love the passion of football and want to know more about previous NFL history. I gave this book a 3 star becuase even though it was interesting, I wish it could've told more about madden's carrer. Overall though it was a fantastic book and I did finish it.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I always liked Madden. It was published in 1997. I probably would have liked it better if I'd read it when it first came out. It was a bit dated reading it all the way down here in 2013. It definitely captured Madden's voice, though.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

not fantastic but the ghostwriter did a great job of capturing Madden's classic voice. Plus, on the cover he's gripping a stylus with his meaty paws.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny! You'll definitely prefer it if you are into pro football, but it's not necessary to have a strong understanding of the game. I realy recomment this one.

[Mark Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. Every football fan needs to read it.

[Sally Lucas Cumro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually learned some interesting things about football, but Madden writes like he talks- half the time you don't know what the heck is going on or why you would care.