Madden Curse
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The Madden Curse, also known as the Madden Cover Jinx, is a myth involving the video game series Madden NFL, stating that the season a player appears on the cover, that player will be cursed with either an injury or poor performance.
Before 1998, the cover included only an image of John Madden. Players who have appeared on the cover in subsequent years have generally failed to reproduce their success of the previous years, for a variety of reasons. Marshall Faulk, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, and Shaun Alexander all have suffered injuries in their season appearing on the cover. These performances and injuries resulted in speculation of a curse. The "Madden Curse" has evolved into a much-reported phenomenon, with several news and sports media outlets referring to it as a phenomenon on par with the fabled Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
In total, the 10 cover players since 1999 had a total of 39 Pro Bowl appearances prior to their Madden cover appearances, compared with just 4 Pro Bowl appearances afterward.
Covers athletes
Garrison Hearst (1999)
Garrison Hearst was the first player to ever be featured on a Madden cover, appearing on Madden NFL 99. Hearst's 1998 season was the best of his career, rushing for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs and a wild card win over the Green Bay Packers, but on the first play of the divisional game versus the Atlanta Falcons, he suffered a bad ankle break and his team would go on to lose the game. He did not play again until 2001.
(It is worth noting that there are two versions of the Madden NFL '99 cover, one with Hearst and the more common one with John Madden.)
Barry Sanders and Dorsey Levens (2000)
Barry Sanders shared the cover with the then-customary picture of John Madden on Madden NFL 2000. However, a week before training session began in 1999, Sanders suddenly retired - ending his career and leaving the Detroit Lions without their star running back of the previous 10 years. Sanders' part in the curse is debated because he is not pictured alone on the box, and he had willingly retired. Also, unlike other victims of the curse who had various problems in the years they appeared on the cover, Sanders rushed for 1,491 yards in his final season, and was closing in on the all time rushing record then held by Walter Payton.
Dorsey Levens was featured on the 2000 cover that was released in PAL regions. Levens rushed for 1,034 yards that season.
Eddie George (2001)
Eddie George, then of the Tennessee Titans, who graced the Madden NFL 2001 box, is often said to be the next 'cursed' player, even though in the year he was on the cover, he had career highs in yardage and touchdowns. Curse advocates point to the 2001 season following his appearance on the cover, during which he averaged only 3 yards per carry and rushed for career lows of 939 yards and 5 touchdowns due to a nagging toe injury that bothered him the entire season. For the rest of his career, he never averaged more than 3.4 yards per carry.
George's curse can be argued to have started the year he was on the cover because in the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game George had a costly fumble that lost the game for Tennessee. He also fumbled 8 times during the 2000 regular season, losing a career high 4 fumbles. In a playoff game against the Ravens, Eddie George bobbled a pass that was intercepted by Ray Lewis who ran it back for a touchdown eventually being the winning score.
Daunte Culpepper (2002)
Former Minnesota Vikings star quarterback Daunte Culpepper appeared on the Madden NFL 2002 cover after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for 470 yards and 7 more scores in the 2000 season. However, Culpepper struggled with turnovers in the first 11 games of the 2001 season, throwing 13 interceptions and only 14 touchdown passes. A back injury ended his season in the 11th game.
Marshall Faulk (2003)
Running back Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams, who was on the Madden NFL 2003 cover, suffered an ankle injury, missing five games. He did amass nearly 1,600 total yards (953 rushing) and 10 touchdowns in limited time in 2002; however, it was a steep decline from his 2,000 yard and 21 touchdown campaign of 2001. He never broke through the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the rest of his career. 2002 was also a dismal year for the Rams as a team as they finished with a 7-9 record, coming off of a strong 14-2 season that led to a Super Bowl appearance the year before.
Michael Vick (2004)
Five days after Madden NFL 2004 was released, which featured Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on the cover, he was injured during a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, suffering a fractured right fibula. Vick played in only the last 5 regular season games, finishing with just 585 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. The Atlanta Falcons missed the playoffs and were already out of contention by the time Vick returned from his injury. The Falcons finished the season with a record of 5-11, a drop from their 9-6-1 record the season prior.
Ray Lewis (2005)
Madden NFL 2005 featured Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, the first defensive player ever to appear on the cover of a Madden game. It was Lewis' first season without a single interception, after posting a career-high 6 the previous year, although interceptions are a secondary statistic for linebackers. He recorded 147 tackles in 15 games played. The Baltimore Ravens also failed to make the playoffs that season after winning their division the year before.
Donovan McNabb (2006)
QB Donovan McNabb, who was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 06, led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX with a 13-3 regular season record to face the New England Patriots. He ended 2004 throwing just shy of 4,000 yards and throwing for 31 passing touchdowns with only 8 interceptions. He also rushed for an additional 3 TDs. However, during the 2005-2006 season, in which he was on the Madden cover, McNabb suffered a sports hernia, but elected to play until after the November 14th game with the Dallas Cowboys. During this game, McNabb was knocked down after an interception return by Roy Williams, aggravating the injury. He then elected to have a season-ending surgery that was required to repair the injury. The Eagles season was already lost at that point, with them finally finishing 6-10 and in last place of the NFC East.
Shaun Alexander (2007)
Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander, who appeared on the cover of Madden NFL 07, had one of the best statistical seasons ever in the 2005-2006 season, as he rushed for 1,880 yards and scored what was a record 28 total touchdowns (27 rushing). Alexander, who had missed one start in his previous 64 contests, fractured the 4th metatarsal in his foot after he was on the cover. He missed six starts and failed to rush for 1,000 yards for the first time since 2000. Additionally, his touchdown record from the previous year was broken by LaDainian Tomlinson, who scored 31 touchdowns in 16 games.
Vince Young and Luis Castillo (2008)
Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young, who appeared on the cover of Madden 08, threw 2,456 yards with 9 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the season of his cover appearance. Although the Titans managed to make the playoffs for the first time in Young's career, he left the final game of the season early with a right quadriceps muscle injury, reinjuring the same muscle that had caused him to miss a start October 21st against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans' final game was a wild card loss to the San Diego Chargers. In addition to this statistical drop, Vince Young missed the first game of his career due to injury against the Houston Texans in his hometown of Houston. This was not just the first time he missed a game in the NFL, but college and high school as well.
| Year | Team | G | Att | Comp | Pct | Att/G | Yds | Avg | Yds/G | TD | TD% | Int | Int% | Lng | 20+ | 40+ | Sck | SckY | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Tennessee Titans | 15 | 357 | 184 | 51.5 | 23.8 | 2,199 | 6.2 | 146.6 | 12 | 3.4 | 13 | 3.6 | 53 | 33 | 1 | 25 | 129 | 66.7 |
| 2007 | Tennessee Titans | 15 | 382 | 238 | 62.3 | 25.5 | 2,546 | 6.7 | 169.7 | 9 | 2.4 | 17 | 4.5 | 73 | 24 | 5 | 25 | 157 | 71.1 |
San Diego Chargers DE Luis Castillo appeared on the cover of the first-ever Spanish language version of Madden NFL 08. Castillo, during the 2007 NFL season, suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss six games. Likewise, his stats from the season before, where he also only played in ten games, showed a statistical drop in virtually every defensive category
Notes
References
- Mikkelson, Barbara (2007-10-31). "The Madden Curse". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Rovell, Darren (2006-09-25). "Cover and out? McNabb latest Madden star to fall". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Seahawks' Alexander out indefinitely with foot fracture". The Associated Press. ESPN. 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Schoetz, David (2007-08-14). "Vince Young Dons 'Madden Curse' Crown". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Wyatt, Jim (2007-04-18). "Can Vince Young avoid the 'Madden curse?'". The Tennessean. USA Today. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
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