Is There Really a Madden Curse? Or is There Just a Really BIG Coincidence?

In 1988 a game called John Madden Football was released for the Apple II computer system to a pretty decent reception. The game continued to be released every year, finally gaining an official license in 1993, becoming Madden NFL. The game is still released every year with a few updates and new features added (some fans jokingly refer to the game as Roster Update instead of Madden). To date, the game is widely considered the best football franchise ever and has spawned spin-offs (the ill-fated NFL Head Coach), nationally recognized tournaments (Madden Bowl is held every year with the top prize being around $50,000), and legions of devoted fans. For the NFL players however, the game brings to mind more fear than joy.

From the year the very first game in 1988 up until Madden NFL 1999 (released by EA Sports in 1998), the cover art only featured John Madden in some form. He was depicted holding a football or clipboard and wearing an announcers headset or even bursting through a wall. In 1999 however, EA Sports decided to begin depicting one of the top players in the league for that season on the cover. It was a long and grueling process to select the athlete that would be shown.

Sometimes it was the Super Bowl MVP, sometimes it was the league MVP, other times it was a man that had an outstanding season. Madden NFL 2000 would be the first to have an athlete on the cover, released in late 1999. However, when a decision couldn't be made on which player to put on the cover 2 were chosen. Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders was featured on the cover on the standard North American edition, along with the still standard picture of John Madden while in PAL regions Sanders was replaced with Green Bay Packers running back Dorsey Levens. Fans around the world clamored to get their copies of the game and they 2 men featured on the covers were thrilled to be part of the action. Then the start of the 2000 NFL season came.

The first widely recognized "cover boy" for the Madden franchise was Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders. Sanders, who was drafted in 1989, was coming off his tenth year in the league and showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. Sanders rushed his way into the record books at the end of the 1999 season with 15, 269 rushing yards, a total that, at the time, was good enough for 2nd place on the NFL all-time rushing list, behind only Walter Payton. Sanders took the ball 343 times that season, amassing an impressive 1,491 yards with a 4.3 yard per carry average. Incredibly, Sanders only managed to score 4 touchdowns the entire season, the lowest since the 1993 season.

His fans, however, didn't let that deter their love for Barry and they eagerly awaited the beginning of the next season, anticipating what Barry and his Lions would do. Unexpectedly on July 28, 1999, at the still-young age of 31, Barry Sanders announced his retirement from professional football. After being the first athlete to grace the cover of Madden football since the game's start in 1988, Barry Sanders would never play another down of football. This move, however, wasn't connected to the Madden cover...yet.

The other cover athlete for the 2000 edition of Madden that was released in PAL regions was Green Bay Packers running back Dorsey Levens. Levens had completed his second best season in 1999 since being drafted by the Packers in 1994. Levens had carried 279 times for 1,034 yards and 9 touchdowns and caught 71 passes for another 573 yards and another TD. Just one year later, however, Levens luck would change. The 2000 season saw Levens play in a total of 5 games, taking 77 carries for a grand total of 224 yards and only 3 touchdowns.

Levens was released from the Packers at the end of the 2001 season and was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played with the Eagles for 1 year before being traded to the New York Giants for another year. In 2003 he was traded back to the Eagles where he played until being traded back to his original team in the 2005 off season where he retired as a Green Bay Packer. After his Madden Cover season Dorsey Levens never rushed for more than 411 yards (2002) and never received more than 159 yards (2001). In the 6 years following his Madden Cover Dorsey Levens scored a total of 13 touchdowns.

Another running back was chosen for the 2001 cover, Tennessee Titans "ironman" Eddie George. George, who had been known for his incredible durability throughout his high school, college, and professional careers, was chosen because of his breakout season with the Titans. George was handed the ball 320 times and rushed for 1,304 yards and scored 9 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 458 yards and another 4 touchdowns. George seemed to be immune to the effects of the curse, however, because the season he was on the Madden cover would go down in the books as his best season as a pro. The cover season saw Eddie George carry the ball 403 times, amassing 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns, all personal bests.

He also caught 50 passes for 453 yards and another 2 scores. The curse, however, didn't miss George, rather it just came in on a time delay. In a 2001 playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens Eddie George bobbled a pass that was intercepted by Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who returned the ball for a touchdown and the win, knocking the Titans out of the playoffs. The next season the curse proved that it had indeed struck George who, after playing most of his career without an injury, was struck with an injury that would severely hamper his performance.

After rushing for near 1,300 yards and an average yards per carry no less than 3.7 in his past 5 seasons, George would never again rush for more than 1,165 yards per season with his highest yards per carry average being 3.4. In 2004 he signed a 1-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, a move that didn't help at all as it proved to be his least productive season, rushing for only 432 yards and 4 touchdowns. His contract wasn't renewed at the end of the season and he wasn't picked up by any other franchises. As of the 2007 season, Eddie George hasn't announced an official retirement but it's doubtful he'll ever play in the NFL again.

The 2002 cover saw the first quarterback featured with the Minnesota Viking's Daunte Culpepper taking the honors. Culpepper was drafted in 1999 but didn't make a pass the entire season. However, he was giving the job of starter in 2000 and proved to be just the spark the Vikings needed. Culpepper connected on 297 out of 474 passes, earning an extremely impressive quarterback rating of 98.0 for the season. He connected with his receivers for 3,937 yards and 33 touchdowns while throwing a relatively high 16 interceptions. He also added a decent ground game to the position, breaking 89 rushing attempts for 470 yards and 7 touchdowns. He led his team to victory in the first 7 games of the season, finishing up with an 11-5 record and even made it to the NFC Championship game before being taken out by the New York Giants.

The Madden Cover season, however, proved to be a disaster for Culpepper and his Vikings. Daunte made 235 completions on 366 attempts for 2,612 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He managed to rush 71 times for 416 yards and 5 touchdowns. Although Culpepper was on his way to a decent statistical season the Vikings themselves were being beaten around the league.

Finally Culpepper went down with a season-ending injury and the Vikings finished up with a 5-11 record. The 2002 season also proved to be disastrous with Culpepper throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and leading the team to a 6-10 record. Culpepper seemed to shake off the Madden Curse in both 2003 and 2004, however, ending 2003 with a 9-7 record and his second Pro Bowl appearance while 2004 proved to be his best statistical season to date. 2005 saw him fall back into Curse form, however.

He started the first 2 games of the season throwing no touchdowns and 8 interceptions and led his team to a record of 2-5 before suffering another season ending injury in the 7th game. Culpepper, citing problems with his status in Minnesota (backup Brad Johnson had rebounded the team to finish the season at 9-7 and was named starter), managed to force a trade to the Miami Dolphins for the 2006 season.

Like Eddie George before him, this move didn't seem to help Culpepper who led the Dolphins to a record of 1-3 (with their 4 opponents being 1-11 when not playing Miami) before being benched by coach Nick Saban due to a shoulder injury. It's unknown if Culpepper will be given his starting job back or if the equally ineffective Joey Harrington (who is also 1-3 for the season) will continue to start once his injuries heal.

Another running back, St, Louis Rams' Marshall Faulk, was chosen as the cover player for Madden NFL 2003. The previous year Faulk had rushed for 1,382 yards with an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Faulk was considered the workhorse of "The Greatest Show on Turf", a team-up that featured him as the ground weapon that complimented quarterback Kurt Warner and his equally gifted targets, Issac Bruce and Torry Holt. Faulk's 8 rushing touchdowns seemed paltry until one looked at his air game. Yes, you heard that right, a running back's air game actually equaled his running game. Bulger connected with Faulk 83 times throughout the season, racking up 765 receiving yards and and 9 touchdowns.

Faulk and his Rams made it through the playoffs that year, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles to win their 6th Conference Championship before losing a heartbreaking close game (on a field goal in the closing seconds) to the rampaging New England Patriots. The Rams looked poised to make another strong run at the Super Bowl the next year, retaining all of the key players that led them to the big game in 2001, including Marshall Faulk. Faulk, who was seen as the catalyst to the amazing Rams, had totaled over 2,000 yards in his previous 4 consecutive seasons (an NFL record), was voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year for 3 consecutive seasons, and was the NFL Most Valuable Player for the 2000 season. Faulk was poised to take his team to another Super Bowl in 2002.

The dream was not to be though because the curse struck again. Faulk's Madden Cover year proved to be his worst since 1996, rushing for only 953 yards on 212 carries and scoring only 8 touchdowns on the ground while catching 80 balls for 537 yards and 2 air touchdowns. Faulk would never again rush for 1,000 yards, his stats actually decreased every year. In 2003 he missed 5 games due to a severe ankle injury and in 2005 he was sent to backup duty for Oregon State standout and 24th overall draft pick Steven Jackson. On July 21, 2006 the Rams announced that Marshall Faulk would be having reconstructive knee surgery and would not be playing in the 2006 season. He currently works as an on-air analyst for NFL Network's NFL Total Access and it is believed he'll officially retire in the off season.

Madden NFL 2004 featured the second quarterback chosen as the Atlanta Falcon's Michael Vick was put on the cover. Vick, who was the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft was widely regarded as the most exciting player in the NFL due to his speed, agility, and arm strength. The 2002 season saw Vick complete 231 of 421 passes for 2,936 yards and 16 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions while rushing for 777 yards on 113 attempts and scoring 8 ground touchdowns.

Vick became known for not being a pocket passer like most NFL quarterbacks. Instead he relied on his college experience and his skills as a scrambler, often burning past unexpecting defenses with college plays like the QB option. Vick lead his Falcons into Lambeau Field for the opening round of the playoffs that season and handed the Green Bay Packers their first home-field playoff loss before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoff game.

When it looked like Vick would lead the Falcons to another strong season the following year he was struck down in a preseason game. Vick's greatest asset was taken away when a tackle during a game against the Baltimore Ravens resulted in a fractured right fibula, an injury that caused Vick to miss most of the regular season. Vick returned in week 12 and led the struggling Falcons to a 3-1 record. In those 4 games he connected on 50 of 100 passes for 585 yards and 4 touchdowns while rushing for 255 yards and another touchdown.

Since healing from his broken leg Vick seems to have shaken the Madden Curse. His stats have improved every season since his 2003 injury and his passing, which received criticism in the past for playing second fiddle to his rushing, has shown alot of improvement. On October 22, 2006 Vick had his first game in his NFL career where he passed for 3 of more touchdowns. He is on par this season to surpass all of his own personal bests...barring anymore injuries of course.

The first defensive player appeared on the cover when Baltimore Ravens' linebacker Ray Lewis was chosen for Madden NFL 2005. Lewis was awarded the cover after a stellar performance the previous season which saw him make 120 solo and 41 assisted tackles, 1.5 sacks, 7 pass deflections, a personal best 6 interceptions, and a touchdown. Lewis led the Ravens into the playoffs that year, winning their division before losing a hard fought battle to the Tennessee Titans in the conference championship game.

The next year Lewis seemed to shake off the Madden Curse for good. He recorded 100 solo and 46 assisted tackles, 1 sack, and 5 deflections. On the negative side for the first time in his career, he finished the season with 0 interceptions and broke his wrist, keeping him out of the last regular season game. Despite Lewis' performance, the Ravens' team as a whole struggled, finishing the season at 6-10 and failing to make the playoffs. The season following his cover wouldn't go so well for Lewis, as an injury in Week 6 proved to be season ending. So far this year Lewis has played like his old self and hasn't been hampered by nagging injuries. Lewis, like Michael Vick, could have put his curse behind him and could very well be entering his golden age as one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL.

The cover for Madden NFL 2006 saw the game reflective on the changes in the actual game over the past season. The video game itself had the tagline of being "The Year of the Quarterback" and the cover reflected that, featuring Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb had led his team on an incredible run at the NFC Championship, taking their division for 4 straight years before finally capturing their conference with a win over the Atlanta Falcons and advanced to face the perennial favorites, the New England Patriots, in the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl was a battle on both ends and the Patriots ended up winning by a single field goal after Patriot safety Rodney Harrison recorded an interception in the final seconds and ran out the clock. After showing flashes of brilliance, fans were eagerly anticipating the start of the new season, knowing that Philadelphia had everything it would take to return to the big game. Unfortunately for the Eagles, McNabb's cover season proved to be just as jinxed as his predecessors. The year before McNabb had connected on 300 of 469 passes for 3,875 yards on 31 touchdowns while throwing only 8 interceptions. He also rushed for 220 yards and another 3 touchdowns. His cover year saw him throw 211 catches out of 357 balls for 2,507 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing 9 interceptions.

The very first game of the cover season saw McNabb take a helmet to the chest from an Atlanta Falcons' defensive tackle. The hit caused a major injury to McNabb, a sports hernia, that would plague him for the rest of the season. He opted not to have the surgery required to fix the injury, instead pushing on since the Eagles were still in playoff contention. In Week 10 he was shoved to the ground by a Dallas Cowboys' linebacker, re-injuring his already aggravated groin. Based on the 2 serious injuries, McNabb decided to end his season and have surgery, citing that the team was already eliminated from a playoff berth for the first time since 2000.

McNabb's cover season was also known for the highly-publicized controversy surrounding a feud between himself and Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens (who was featured on the cover of SEGA's ESPN NFL 2K5 the same year). This season the Eagles have fought to a 5-4 start, with all their wins coming by 14 or more points and all of their losses coming by 7 or less. McNabb could be fighting his way out of the curse like Lewis and Vick before him instead of falling to it like Faulk, Culpepper, George, and Levens.

This year's cover was given to last year's league MVP and Seattle Seahawk's running back Shaun Alexander. Alexander became the first player to be featured on the cover of both EA Sports football titles as he was also featured on the cover of NCAA Football 2001. The Seahawks drafted Alexander as the 17th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played all 16 games as a back-up his rookie season and quickly won the starting job his sophomore year. In the 2004 season Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards and a season high 27 rushing touchdowns.

He also added 78 receiving yards for another score from the air. Alexander and the Seahawks made the playoffs that season, taking the franchise to their first Super Bowl appearance ever. The Super Bowl game ended with the Seahawks losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win that made the Steelers only the 3rd team in the NFL to have "one for the thumb" (5 Super Bowl Championships). During the preseason, Alexander showed flashes of last year's greatness, getting the Seattle fans warmed up for another run at the Super Bowl. During the first game of the regular season those dreams were sent flying when Alexander went down with an injury to his left foot.

A bone scan finally revealed that Alexander had suffered a small crack and a non-displaced fracture on a non-weight bearing bone in his left foot. An injury that was expected to heal in 3-4 weeks proved to be problematic when another series of tests on October 30, 2006 revealed that the injury was not healing correctly and will more than likely keep Alexander out for a few more weeks. As of now there is no speculation to when Alexander will return to practice.

Those who believe in the curse are quick to point out that since Madden NFL started featuring athletes on the cover in 2000 every player that was featured has either went down with an injury or suffered from a serious drop in his stats the following season. The only exception was Barry Sanders, who didn't play another season after the cover due to an unexpected retirement. Critics of the curse (most notably EA Sports officials themselves) are quick to point out that both Ray Lewis (2005 cover) and Eddie George (2001 cover) didn't see a drop in stats or a major injury that forced them to sit the majority of the season following their cover appearance.

Ray Lewis, however, DID suffer a season ending injury in Week 6 2 years after appearing on the cover and Eddie George saw a drop in his stats that started 2 years after his appearance. With a streak that has seen every player ever featured on the cover have serious problems following their appearance one has to wonder...who will WANT to pose for Madden NFL in the future?