The Madden Curse

A few weeks back I wrote a blog about superstitions and athletes. This blog is going to be a follow up to that blog. I have done some research and found some pretty interesting superstitions and not just with NFL players. One of the most famous superstitions associated with the NFL is “The Madden Curse”. John Madden is a former NFL player, coach, and commentator before retiring in April of 2009. You may recognize his name from the popular video game Madden NFL where gamers take control as their favorite NFL team and play against others. Madden has been around for over twenty years and it was in 1999 when the cover of the game featured a professional NFL player. This is when the curse began.

The Madden Curse is a speculation in which any player who graces the cover of the game will be cursed to either injury or poor performance. In an interview, Chris Erb of EA Sports which makes Madden NFL stated that “The players don’t believe in the curse”. Personally, I think the outcome is far than coincidental and if I were an NFL player, I would be a little skeptical. I will let you read and decide for yourself. (Keep in mind that the game is released the year before it’s named. I.E. Madden 08 was released in the year 2007 and associated with the 2007 season.)

Madden 99 – The player was Garrison Hearst, a running back for the San Francisco 49ers during that time. Hearst had his greatest season in 1998 finishing third in rushing yards and became the first 49er to reach 1,000 yards in one season since 1992. He had more touchdowns that season than in his entire pro career. However, during a divisional playoff game against Atlanta, Hearst suffered a broken ankle which caused him to miss two full NFL season.

Madden 00 – The player was Barry Sanders, a running back for the Detroit Lions. Barry Sanders wasn’t injured during the season but in 1999 Sanders abruptly announced his retirement. He had just resigned with the Lions two years prior with a six year contract and controversy struck when he refused to return the unearned money after the Lions demanded it back. Sanders was eventually sued and lost.

Madden 01 – The player was Eddie George, a running back for the then Tennessee Titans. Tennessee had won the Superbowl in 2000 and was on their way to doing it again. During a divisional playoff game in 2001, George bobbled a pass which was intercepted and ran back for a touchdown by the Baltimore Ravens. The Titans ended up losing the game and Baltimore went on to become the Superbowl Champions.

Madden 02 – The player was Dante Culpepper, a quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings at the time. During the 2001 season, Culpepper’s career started going downhill when he threw 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions leaving the Vikings with a 5-11 record. He missed the last five games of the season due to a knee injury suffered during a game. The season before, Culpepper had taken the Vikings all the way to the playoffs.

Madden 03 – The player was Marshall Faulk, a running back for the St. Louis Rams at the time. Faulk had four consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards until 2002 when he missed the 1,000 mark by 430 yards. Needless to say, he just had a bad season.

Madden 04 – The player was Michael Vick, a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Interestingly, his participation in dog fighting and the charges he faced weren’t part of the curse. Vick suffered a broken leg which caused him to miss the first 11 games of the season.

Madden 05 – The player was Ray Lewis, a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. For the most part, Lewis avoided the curse however, it was the first time in his career that he didn’t record an interception and he had missed a game. All his stats were down compared to previous seasons.

Madden 06 – The player was Donovan McNabb, a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. After taking the Eagles to the Superbowl, McNabb suffered a hernia in game one of the 2005 season. McNabb came back but so did the hernia and he missed seven games. The Eagles finished with a 7-10 record.

Madden 07 – The player was Shaun Alexander, a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander had won the MVP trophy and was in the Superbowl. The following season he broke his foot and missed six games. He recorded the lowest stats of his career since his rookie season.

Madden 08 – The player was Vince Young, a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Young started off his career well with the Titans. Two years later his touchdown to interception ration was 2 to 1 and only completed 62% of his passes. He suffered a couple injuries and was taken out of the game and replaced by Kerry Collins. Vince Young wasn’t put back into the game until week seven of this season.

*There is an “alternate” to the 08 cover for the Spanish version. Luis Castillo, a defensive end for the San Diego Chargers, missed six games due to an injured ankle. Some say steroids were the cause of the injury.

Madden 09 – The player was Brett Favre, a quarterback for the New York Jets at the time after coming out of retirement. Favre was supposed to be the savior to the Jets and it looked good in the beginning of the season. The Jets started with an 8-3 record but finished the season 9-7. Favre admitted he had suffered an injury to his throwing arm.

Madden 10 – The newest version of Madden was released for the first time with two players gracing the cover. Troy Polamalu, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Larry Fitzgerald, a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the Superbowl Champions and opened the 2009 season with the Thursday night game against the Tennessee Titans. During the first half, Polamalu suffered a torn MCL injury that took him out for the next four games. He returned in week six only to get injured again with a torn ACL in week ten. Polamalu will be out for at least another four weeks. Larry Fitzgerald played in the Superbowl last year against the Steelers and Polamalu. He had an outstanding season and is so far, so good.

Now maybe you can decide for yourself if it’s a coincidence or curse. Athletes, especially NFL players, are prone to injury so maybe it’s just a matter of the media only focusing on the ones who have been on the cover of the game. Or maybe it's a connection between reaching your peak and having no where to go but down. I guess there is no true way to tell!

Below is a list of some other interesting superstitions I found:

WR Plaxico Burress, NY Giants eats grilled salmon and white rice every Saturday night before a game.

S Marcus Coleman, Dallas eats a chicken Caesar sandwich before every game and has to be the last player on the bus.

RB Ahman Green, Green Bay watches the film “Pure Payton” on the eve of every game.

QB Rex Grossman, Chicago takes a shower after warming up on the field prior to a game.

T Daniel Loper, Tennessee puts his equipment on left to right in game order for every practice and game.

DE Jason Taylor, Miami does everything from right to left.

RB Moran Norris, San Francisco does not walk under the cross bars before games.

FB Mike Sellers, Washington does not eat before a game, even if it’s a night game.

CB Charles Tillman, Chicago has the same person stretch him and tape him.

K Lawrence Tynes, Kansas City washes his car before every home game.

DE John Henderson, Jacksonville gets slapped before each game by assistant trainer Joe Sheehan.

References
Pearson, Greg. (2007). "Chapter, verson on the curse." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (journalsentinel.com. Retrieved on November 24, 2009, from http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/29367709.html

(2009). "The John Madden Football Curse." Fantom 1979. Retrieved on November 24, 2009, from http://fantom1979.homeip.net/madden.html.

The Shark Pool (NFL TALK). (2003). Bri. Retrieved on November 24, 2009, from http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=258447

The Madden Curse. (2009). "The Madden Curse Strike in 2009/Starts in Cover Order with Polamalu." Retrieved on November 24, 2009, from http://www.themaddencurse.com/2009/09/the-madden-curse-strikes-in-2009-starts-in-cover-order-with-polamalu/