Madden Curse

Woe be to the football player that makes the cover of Madden, for he is doomed.

The Madden Curse is a superstitious belief that athletes who are featured on the game's cover art will suffer a significant drop-off in performance the following season, typically due to a severe injury. Though it doesn't occur every year, there is an alarmingly regular occurrence of this phenomenon.

2001 Eddie George

2001 Eddie George - 2000 Season - George bobbled a pass that was intercepted to end the Titans quest to the Super Bowl.

2001 is seemingly an anomaly in the phenomenon, as 2000 was George's best season, statistically speaking. He rushed for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season, almost 400 yards in the post-season, and caught two touchdowns during the Super Bowl.

2002 Dante Culpepper

2002 Dante Culpepper - 2001 Season - The Vikings were 4-7, then Culpepper had a knee injury that caused him to miss 5 games. The Vikings finished at 5-11 that season.

2003 Marshall Faulk

2003 Marshall Faulk - 2002 Season - Plagued by an ankle injury, he rushed for under 1,000 yards. He had four straight seasons over 1,300 yards previously. The Rams went 7-9.

2004 Michael Vick

2004 Michael Vick - 2003 Season - One day after the game hit shelves, Vick suffered a fractured right fibula in a preseason game. He only played in 5 games, and the Falcons went 5-11.

2005 Ray Lewis

2005 Ray Lewis - 2004 Season - Lewis seemingly avoided the curse, as his stats matched some of his best seasons. However, he did not have a single interception, and the Ravens went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Lewis was also indicted for suspicion of aggravated assault and murder.

2006 Donovan McNabb

2006 Donovan McNabb - 2005 Season - Though he played well in September and October, McNabb's play dropped off due to a sports hernia and a sore thumb, which caused him to miss seven games. The Eagles missed the playoffs, finishing 6-10.

2007 Shaun Alexander

2007 Shaun Alexander - 2006 Season - Alexander broke his foot in the third game of the season and missed the next six games. The Seahawks made the playoffs but lost in the divisional round.

Unlike previous cursed players, Alexander never recovered after his cover appearance. He played two more seasons for the Seahawks, but was relegated to backup duties in 2007 and cut by the team after the season. He played in four games for the Redskins in 2008, only carrying the ball 11 times for 24 yards.

2008 Vince Young

2008 Vince Young - 2007 Season - Young seemingly avoided the Madden Curse. He missed only one game and threw for over 2,500 yards and nine touchdowns, though he did throw 17 interceptions. The Titans finished at 9-7 and made the playoffs, losing in the wild card game.

2009 Brett Favre

2009 Brett Favre - 2008 Season - Favre made the cover upon announcing his retirement. However, he changed his mind and signed with the New York Jets. They started off the season 8-3 but lost four of the last five games and missed the playoffs, largely due to a drop in Favre's performance. After the season, an MRI determined that Favre had a torn bicep.

2010 - Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald

2010 Troy PolamaIu - 2009 Season - Sprained his MCL in the season opener, which caused him to miss nearly the entire season. After starting 6-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers went on a five game losing streak that took them out of playoff contention. The loss of Polamalu was cited as one of the main reasons why the Steeler's defense performed so poorly during the season.

Co-cover athlete, Larry Fitzgerald, had over 1000 yards receiving, and a career high 13 touchdown receptions during the regular season. The Cardinals won the NFC West division for the second straight year.

blog	The Madden Curse Lives On	CitizenKane
forum	thats impressive in a strang way..	xplodedd

Name	Platforms	Developer
Madden NFL 09 released on Aug. 12, 2008	PS3, XBOX, PSP, DS, PS2, X360	EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 08 released on Aug. 14, 2007	XBOX, PC, PS2, DS, PSP, WII, MAC, PS3, X360, GC	EA Tiburon, Team Fusion
Madden NFL 07 released on Aug. 22, 2006	GBA, DS, WII, XBOX, PC, GC, X360, PS2, PSP, PS3	EA Canada, HB Studios, EA Tiburon, Team Fusion
Madden NFL 06 released on Aug. 8, 2005	PS2, PC, X360, GC, DS, PSP, GBA, XBOX	EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 2005 (Collector's Edition) released on Aug. 9, 2004	PS2	EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 2005 released on Aug. 9, 2004	PS1, ZOD, PC, GC, DS, PS2, GBA, XBOX	Exient Entertainment
Madden NFL 2004 released on Aug. 11, 2003	PC, GC, PS1, PS2, GBA, XBOX	EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 2003 released on Aug. 12, 2002	PC, GC, PS1, PS2, GBA, XBOX	EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 2002 released on Aug. 13, 2001	PC, GBC, GC, PS1, PS2, N64, GBA, XBOX	3d6 Games, Inc., Budcat Creations, EA Tiburon
Madden NFL 2001 released on Aug. 23, 2000	N64, PS1, PC, PS2, GBC	EA Tiburon

Concept Name:	Madden Curse
Appears in:	10 games
First appearance:	Madden NFL 2001
Aliases