EA Tiburon announced today that the commentary booth in Madden NFL 17 will feature two new voices this season. Replacing last year’s duo of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz will be the team of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis.
While they may not carry the same name recognition as Simms and Nantz, both Gaudin and Davis bring plenty of experience to the position. Set to move to the Big Ten Network later this year, Gaudin has been covering the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets since 2013. Additionally, he has provided coverage of several sports on Westwood One Sports, and will even have the chance to call a few live NFL games this season.
A former defensive back for the Tennessee Volunteers, Charles Davis brings both knowledge and experience to the Madden NFL 17 commentary booth. Working for both FOX and the NFL Network, Davis has seen his profile rise over the past few years. In 2015, he began calling live games for NFL on Fox, and he also continues to provide detailed coverage of the NFL Draft each season.
A switch in voices is good, but what does it mean for Madden NFL 17? Well, for starters, EA Tiburon is promising that this iteration of the long-running franchise will feature the most commentary ever at launch. Besides that, the studio is also planning to have commentary updates available for the game throughout the NFL season.
I’ll wait for the final copy of the game to fully pass judgment, but consider this a step in the right direction for the franchise. For as many improvements the series has seen over the past few years, the dull commentary has frequently been an issue. Hearing the same canned phrases over and over again is both annoying and unrealistic. For a series that strives for realism, that’s a pretty big deal. Hopefully Gaudin and Davis can reinvigorate the booth this year.
Expect EA to reveal more information on Madden NFL 17 at the publisher’s E3 press conference next week.
