The Curse of Madden Has Been Lifted

The Curse Of Madden

The Curse of Madden Has Been Lifted
by Kong from theKONGBLOG™

Are you superstitious?
Do you believe in curses??
Are you a Voodoo Child???
Do you believe in jinxes????

For countless years, NFL players and video gaming fans alike have joked about the alleged “Madden Curse” — the enigmatic hex received by those gracing the cover of Madden's video game franchise.

These unsuspecting and unfortunate souls may think they're receiving nationwide global attention by representing the best selling EA Sports series but unbeknownst to many of them, they fall victim and experience a decline in their performance — usually due to an injury.

Let's take-a-peek into The Curse Of Madden:

1999: San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst appeared on the cover and was known to be the beginning of the curse — breaking his ankle, sidelining him for two seasons.

2000: Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders unexpectedly retired one week before training camp by sending a fax to the team.

2001: Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George had a great season but fumbled at a crucial point in the playoffs, as the top-seeded Titans lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the first round.

2002: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper struggled all season — suffering a season-ending knee injury after 11 games.

2003: St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk was hampered by an ankle injury all season long and failed to match his Pro Bowl production from previous seasons — he never rushed for 1,000 yards again.

2004: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick broke his leg in a pre-season game just one day after the game was released and missed 11 games that season — followed by "off-the-field" issues in the years that followed.

2005: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis suffered a broken wrist — causing him to miss one game during the season.

2006: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb missed seven games during the seasondue to a sports hernia — he had a public feud w/ wide receiver Terrell Owens, failed to make the Pro-Bowl for the first time in five seasons and hasn't been back since.

2007: Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander fractured his foot, causing him to miss six games — the reigning NFL MVP's production declined and he never returned to play at an "elite" level.

2008: Tennessee Titans running back Vince Young led the Titans to their first playoff appearance in four years but quickly fell-out of favor with the franchise and has been looking for a quarterbacking job ever since.

2009: Green Bay Packers Brett Favre was traded to the New York Jets after the "retirement/un-retirement" fiasco — he started the season strong but faded down the stretch and the Jets failed to make the playoffs.

2010: Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Polamalu only played five games because on lingering knee injures as the Steelers missed the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl. Fitzgerald -however, still had a strong season, collecting over 1,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

2011: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had an impressive season but the Saints were upset by the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs as they failed to defend their Super Bowl title.

2012: Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis burst onto the scene as a "blue-collar" fan favorite — evidently becoming the first fan-voted player on the cover of Madden. He battled a hamstring injury which caused him to sit-out part of the season and fought w/ the Browns management over a new contract — evidently being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to surface as their 2nd string running back.

Mr. John Madden –himself, declares, 'The curse is over, the curse is over...' (KRS-ONE-accent)