The Giants Should Worry...Or Should They?

Nick Mandarano 

Man I just personally wanna thank all the love and support from everybody for voting today !! It's mean so much to be on the cover of Madden

— Odell Beckham Jr (@OBJ_3) May 14, 2015

You know who I think was even more grateful OBJ will grace the next Madden cover? Rob Gronkowski. Otherwise, he would've been there. And we all know the Patriots will suffer enough not having Brady for four games. They can't afford to lose Gronk too. Stick with me here, it makes sense.

Garrison Hearst was Madden 99's cover boy. He suffered a broken ankle in the playoffs that year and wound up missing the next two season rehabbing. He was fortunate, actually. At first, they thought he'd never play again.

In 2000, Barry Sanders was elected to pose for the cover of Madden. Yes, he was. I promise you. Perhaps he was on to something, because shortly after the announcement, Sanders unexpectedly retired from the league. EA Sports had to react quickly to replace Sanders with another active player and decided on a rising star, Dorsey Levens. Levens fell off quickly, plagued by injuries. 

 
Eddie George, coming off four straight seasons of 1,200+ yards, was honored with the Madden 2001 cover. We made it through the entire regular season and into the playoffs sure that this "Madden Curse" was just a coincidence. That is, until George bobbled a pass resulting in an interception and game-winning touchdown for the Ravens, ending the season for George and the Titans. Never again did George rush for 1,200 yards. 

Not enough to convince you something fishy is going on here? Midway through the 2001 season, Dante Culpepper had taken the league by storm to the point where they were already ready to declare him the cover of Madden 2002. Not long after, Culpepper blew out his knee and missed the rest of the season. The following year he had 5 more interceptions than touchdowns (23:18). 

 
After leading the Rams to a Super Bowl, Marshall Faulk was on the cover of Madden 2003. That season was the first for Faulk with less than 1,000 yards rushing. And every season thereafter was on a decline. By 2006 he was out of the league. 

Michael Vick fractured his fibula in a preseason game a little over 10 years ago. He missed the first 11 games of the season. Guess what happened just before the injury. Michael Vick was announced to be on the cover of Madden 2004. 

2004 was the first season Ray Lewis did not record an interception. In Week 6 of the 2005 season, Lewis tore his hamstring ending his season. I bet you can guess who was on the Madden 2005 cover. Are we getting anywhere yet? 

Madden 06, the first with the Superstar mode, showcased Donovan McNabb. McNabb hurt his groin that year and was sent to the IR. The following season, he tore his ACL. Yadda, yadda, yadda...Cursed. 

Shaun Alexander (remember him?) was on the front of Madden 07. It only took until Week 3 for the curse to kick in. Alexander broke his foot. And the next year? Oh boy. Sprained ankle, sprained knee, broken wrist...but there's not curse right? According to Alexander, it must be coincidence. "Do you want to be hurt and on the cover, or just hurt?" 

Then-reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Vince Young, was named as the Madden 08 cover. Young was hurt in Week 6 and Week 17. Then again in the very first week of the following season, Young headed to the bench with an injury, this time for good. When Kerry Collins took the starting job, Young never got it back. 

Madden 09 featured Brett Favre in a Packers jersey. After returning from his first retirement, Favre signed with the Jets and suffered a throwing shoulder injury late in the season. 

Madden 10 featured both Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu, and while Fitz may have safely escaped the curse, Polamalu sure didn't. He sprained his MCL in the first half of Week 1, missed four games, came back to play three games, and then proceeded to hurt his PCL. 

Drew Brees was on Madden 11. The 2010 season was not good for Brees. The Saints failed to win the division...but a 7-9 Seahawks team did not. 

Peyton Hillis was Madden 12. Injured hamstring. 587 yards in 10 games. Big disappointment. You know the deal. 

Madden 13 had Calvin Johnson as the cover athlete. Well, he's Megatron. Fellow site writer JT Volpe and I tried to trend #IfAnyoneCanBreakTheMaddenCurseItsMegatron on Twitter. It didn't catch on, but it should have. Megatron was fine. He set the single-season receiving yards record. 

On the cover of Madden 25 (named for the 25th anniversary of the Madden games) was Adrian Peterson. Okay, I'll let you guys figure that one out... 

There's not much of a case for Richard Sherman and Madden 15. Well, he sprained his elbow, but played through it. Although, he was in fact one awful play call away from a Super Bowl ring. Maybe the curse took the form of Pete Carroll's football intelligence.

The Curse is real! ...Right? Regardless, how can you still believe there's not reason to at least be a bit suspicious? If I were a Giants fan, I'd spend the time I'm not begging my father to let me back in the family photo worrying about Odell Beckham, Jr. Interesting, though, that the only two players who were completely free of the Madden Curse were the only wide receivers on the list...