Peyton Hillis Believes: The Madden Curse Strikes again

Oh, so now you’re a believer! The Madden Curse strikes again

“Things didn’t work in my favor this year. There’s a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses. Ain’t no doubt about it.” said Peyton Hillis.

Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur was asked if Peyton Hillis, who ran for 1,177 yards last year and has only 557 this year, is part of the team’s plans going forward. Shurmur was noncommittal with each answer, saying the decision would be made following an off-season evaluation.

“As we look at our roster and we look at building our team, we’ve got to consider everything,” Shurmur said. “One thing you’ve seen about Peyton is that, in the last month or so, he’s gotten himself healthy and he’s performed well. That’s the Peyton everyone was used to seeing a year ago.”

The Madden Curse Recap

• RB Eddie George appeared on the 2001 cover, the Titans lost in the 2001 playoffs. George also never averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry for the rest of his career.
• After appearing on the Madden 2002 cover, Daunte Culpepper threw 23 interceptions as the Vikings slumped to a 5–11 record. He also broke the record for most fumbles in a single season.
• Marshall Faulk appeared on the 2003 cover, after which he did not register another 1,000 yard rushing season and his yards per carry average dropped from a consistent 5.4 over the previous three years to 4.5 in 2002 and 4.0 in 2003 and 2004. He started 21 out of a possible 32 games from 2002–2003 as knee injuries got the best of him, then ended his career.
• Michael Vick’s curse resulted in a broken fibula in a pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Atlanta Falcons went 5-11. Going to jail was all him though.
• Ray Lewis starred on the 2005 cover as the first middle linebacker for the game. His season was cut short in week 15 with a wrist injury. It was also Lewis’ first season without an interception. The Ravens were more of a team meltdown than Lewis himself, but as the first defensive player it was a mixed bag of problems for the team as a whole.
• In 2006, Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb tore his ACL while falling down like an old lady in a game versus the Tennessee Titans, ending his season. McNabb also suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season.
• RB Shaun Alexander (who? oh yeah I remember that guy) …let’s just say his career was as good as gone after starring on the cover.
• In 2007, CNBC reported that a large number of LaDainian Tomlinson’s fans, who believed strongly in the Madden Curse, were opposed to EA Sports’ initial decision to feature him on the 2008 cover. They were so unhappy one fan created SaveLTfromMadden.com to voice their disdain.
• In 2008 Vince Young appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to officially announce that he would appear on the cover of Madden NFL 2008. He tried to destroy and allegations of becoming the Madden Curse’s next victim, and even stated, “I’ve done prayed about it and we’re gonna go home and try to get to the playoffs and try to get to the Super Bowl. We’ll see what happens.” =Fail
• Brett Favre appeared on the cover of Madden NFL 2009 as a Green Bay Packer, under the impression that Favre was retired. However, shortly after the decision, Favre came back out of retirement and was traded to the New York Jets. A lot of interceptions and photos of his junk being sent to sexy news reporters, and his season was clearly cursed.
• In ’09 Larry Fitzgerald, star WR for the Arizona Cardinals, and safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers, were both featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10. Polamalu sprained his MCL in the first half of the season, while Fitzgerald started all 16 regular season and both playoff games for the Cardinals. He did not attend the Pro Bowl due to a rib injury. Still, Larry Fitzgerald recorded 97 receptions (third-most of his NFL career), 1,092 yards (fourth-most), and a career-high 13 touchdowns. It seems that there was a coin flip for the double headed Madden cover that year, and Polamalu lost.
• The Madden 11 cover Drew Brees played in every game of the 2010, however, he did throw twice as many interceptions (22) that season. Also, Brees QB Rating dropped nearly 20 points, and the Saints lost in the first round of the playoffs to the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks. Ouch!
• Just updated…drum roll please! Madden 12 cover NFL athlete Peyton Hillis has missed five games this year and was a fantasy bust. After a hamstring injury along with a note from his mommy to miss one game with strep throat, Peyton Hillis revamped the Madden Curse in glorious fashion. In addition, there was poor display of behavior in the Browns locker room during the season, particularly with regards to his contentious contract negotiations. It has been rumored that Hillis will leave the Browns at the end of the 2011-2012 season as a free agent.