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Leonard Shapiro Special to washingtonpost.com
It wasn't exactly Madden's idea to take a deep breath and a day off this weekend, but when NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol first broached the possibility with him last spring, Madden said he'd have to think about it. Ten days ago, he spoke with Ebersol again and told him it might not be a bad idea.
"I wasn't reluctant as much as I was 'let's wait and see how it goes,'" Madden said in a telephone interview Monday. "Last year we had a couple of tough (trips). I still enjoy the travel, but you'd like to be home once in a while. I've got five grandchildren. It's a quality of life issue. The 49ers and the Raiders not being good also has hurt, because you never get a home game. Even when L.A. had a team, I'd get to be home. When you see the grand kids, it's like they've grown two feet. So I'd like to check in once awhile, and this is a good chance to do that."
Ebersol first thought about giving his man a blow when the NFL television schedule first came out last April. He saw that NBC would have a game in Jacksonville on Oct. 5, followed by a game in San Diego this past Sunday (Oct. 12), followed by an Oct. 19 game in Tampa.
Madden's fear of flying is well-known, as is his preference to get from game to game and occasionally home in Northern California on a specially outfitted bus with his personal driver. It's got a kitchen, steaks in the fridge, surround sound, flat-screen TVs and, perhaps most important of all, a bed with the exact same mattress Madden sleeps on at home, the better to nod off any time he chooses without waking up with his spine twisted like a pretzel.
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