"Great tribute! Captures everything about him" - NFL fans react to legendary coach's return on Madden 23 cover

Las Vegas Raiders Honor Hall of Fame NFL Coach, Broadcaster John Madden

The cover for Madden 23 sees the return of the legendary former NFL coach, who lent his expertise and name to the game. John Madden, who passed away in December last year, was instrumental in the design of the best-selling NFL video game of all time.

The legendary John Madden returns to the cover #Madden23 https://t.co/unfWPYV6KD

It was a perfect tribute to a true legend of the sport who donned many hats, from a coach to a commentator and then to a game developer. Fans were quick to react to him being featured on the cover.

Some highlighted that it was a great tribute, especially the photograph that showed Madden at his happiest with a football in his arm.

@NFL Great tribute! Captures everything about John

Others commended how everything about it was awesome.

@NFL This is awesome 👏

This user added to the tribute by sharing the original cover in which he appeared.

@NFL https://t.co/Ia1Ogs6fLz

Some even said that since the game was named after him, he should have appeared in every edition but highlighting a different team or facet of play.

@NFL Honestly it should be John Madden every year but him wearing different teams jerseys or just his face over whoever the MVP was🤣🤣

This user threw out the introduction of the original game where it showed him breaking through during the opening credits.

@NFL https://t.co/smszkA7hW3

There were those who took the opportunity to pay their own tribute to the great coach in general.

@NFL ...the right thing to do. Love it. Rest easy John 💙 https://t.co/Ai9olg5EYE

Some however, veered towards cynicism and thought that it was just a cheap marketing ploy and not a real tribute to a true great of the game.

@NFL He’s only on the cover to sell copies, because they know nothing in this series is going to improve enough to justify another $70.

But honestly that doesn’t matter because they milked this series dry a long time ago and NFL fans keep buying it every year.

But the general tenor of the thoughts remained positive and respectful.

@NFL This is a good look by @EAMaddenNFL to put #Madden on the Cover he's an #NFL Legend and we all played the Game growing up. Thank you for everything you did for the Game Coach. 🙏🏾🏟️🎮📺😇🏈❤️ #JohnMadden #Madden23 #EAathlete #Football #NFL #NFLTwitter #ESPN #EAGames #NFLKickoff

Some even put out a suggestion that maybe just for one final time, in his honor, commentaries could feature his voice again to immortalize it.

@NFL They need to add his commentary in game like the older versions…

We left the final word to the simplest of responses that just claimed it was beautiful.

@NFL This is beautiful

John Madden, the man who lent his name to a football game

John Madden was a true great of the game. Of all the coaches who have coached more than 100 games, he has the highest win percentage. As the coach of the Oakland Raiders, he led them to their first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XI.

His broadcasting career was also legendary in that he spoke the language of the fans and simplified concepts to make it more personal. He won 16 Sports Emmy awards during his career.

Finally, in 1988, he lent his creative inputs to the NFL video game to create the game we are all so familiar with now. It was the first realistic video game of a sport and influenced other similar video games.

The legacy he left behind in all three arenas continues to be felt even today.