ultimately, very boring. you never said that about madden. john madden is more responsible for the growth and popularity of football than any other single human being of his lifetime. howard: high praise. when the fledgling fox sports outbid cbs back in 1993, it was the hiring of madden that gave the operation instant credibility. i wasn t a guy when i was coach that would say i want to go out and be a broadcaster. i m vin scully along with john madden but i knew after i did the fist couple games, that that s what i wanted to do. this is it. i embraced it. howard: beyond his 16 emmy awards and his football video game, john madden brought passion and humor to covering the sport he came to define. that s it for this edition of mediabuzz . i m howard kurtz. a happy and hell hell think healthy new year.