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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he's willing to take on the 'Madden curse'
By Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

After leading the New Orleans Saints to the first Super Bowl in franchise history, quarterback Drew Brees might have another daunting task on his hands - breaking the "Madden curse."


Brees is one of three finalists for the "honor" of appearing on the cover of EA Sports' Madden 11 video game. The winner, based on fan voting, will be announced before the draft on Thursday night. The other two finalists are Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Indianapolis Colts receiver and New Orleans native Reggie Wayne.

"You know what, I'm not rooting against it," Brees said, when asked about his hopes for the vote. "If it does happen, just like records are made to be broken, curses are made to be broken too. If the fans have spoken, if I am indeed their vote, then I'll do my best to break that trend."
The supposed Madden curse hasn't really been all that bad over the years. But it is uncanny how many injuries and subpar seasons have come from the players after they appear on the cover.

The most notorious examples were Detroit Lions tailback Barry Sanders in 1999 (abruptly retired before the season); Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in 2003 (broken leg in the summer); Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2005 (season-ending hernia); and Seattle Seahawks tailback Shaun Alexander in 2006 (broken foot).
Last year, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald appeared together on the cover. Polamalu was limited to five games because of knee injuries, but Fitzgerald played in every game and had another All-Pro season.
Just to be on the safe side, though, Saints fans likely have been voting in droves - for Jared Allen.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he's willing to take on the 'Madden curse' | - NOLA.com

MatthewT

With the first pick in the 2011 draft, the New Orleans Saints select QB...

Saintswrath

Don't ever do that again..

And i don't want Brees on that cover man! i didn;'t vote for him when the voting started.

poydras

NO! We JUST vanquished the other curse! We don't need a new one!

TheEnigma

Many have tried to take on the curse and very few have succeeded.

breesfan27

SHAME ON YOU!

saintfan

+ 1. I see no reason to tempt fate.

strato

Me no like the Madden...

HintOfLogic

I think Brees has proven he's all about defying curses.... Bring it On!

and BTW, between the other two finalists, Jared Allen and Reggie Wayne, I think he'll be heavily favored (shoe-in maybe). Great players and guys too, but not Madden cover guy type of players.

I wonder if there's a factor of contracts and royalties that play a part? If they want Brees, put Brees. Do they have "finalists" so that they have leverage with royalty terms per player? If Brees wants too much, there's always B and C.....


EDIT: also, I believe I read somewhere that Brees was the #1 selling Jersey recently. This is money signs for EA's cover too.

D_it_up

I honestly laughed a little when I read this. lol