The Madden Curse

Many fans and lots of players have long been very superstitious. Did you know Micheal Jeffrey Jordan wore Carolina blue under his Chicago Bulls uniform every night, or that the legend Wade Boggs ate only chicken before games and draw a symbol in the box that means "To Life" before every at bat.

This brings us to what I believe is more then a superstition, because its effects are tangible and can be proven statistically,and its outreach is beyond one particular player or team. This phenomenon is known as "The Madden Curse".Every NFL Player that has graced the cover since the year 2000 has had a serious injury or uncharacteristicly bad season.Here is some factual proof of this claim.

2012:Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis who had a breakout season just the year before could not stay healthy and only mustered 587 yards rushing in his year plagued by the curse.

2011: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Had a strong season individually, but the Saints were upset by the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs and failed to defend their Super Bowl title.

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

2009: Brett Favre. He was traded to the New York Jets after an off-season battle with the Green Bay Packers, following his retirement, then un-retirement. He started strong, but faded down the stretch and the Jets failed to make the playoffs. His final three seasons were inconsistent and he also went through off-the-field issues.

2008: Tennessee Titans Quaterback Vince Young. He led the Titans to their first playoff appearance in four years, but fell out of favor with the franchise since that season. The organization then sought to cut or trade Young once the lockout was lifted.

2007: Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander. A fractured foot hobbled Alexander, the reigning MVP, throughout the season and he missed six games. His production declined and he never returned to his MVP-form.

2006: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. He missed seven games during the season after dealing with a sports hernia. He failed to make the Pro-Bowl for the first time in five seasons and has not been invited since. McNabb also battled with wideout Terrell Owens throughout the season.

2005: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. A broken wrist caused him to miss one game during the season, and it was also his first year without an interception.

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

2003: St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk. He was hampered by an ankle injury all season, and failed to match his production from previous seasons. His decline started after appearing on the Madden cover and he never rushed for 1,000 yards again.

2002: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Struggled all season, and had his season cut short with knee surgery after 11 games. The Vikings were 4-7 at that point.

2001: Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George. He had a great season, but fumbled at a clutch point in the playoffs, which led to the top-seeded Titans losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the first round.

2000: Detroit running back Barry Sanders. He unexpectedly retired one week before training

The next potential victim of this endorsement could be the best linebacker in the league right now San Francisco 49er's Patrick Willis. My advice to him would be simply DONT DO IT!