Monday, April 4, 2011

A Sign of Things To Come?

Well, there may not be a football season this year, but if there is, I think there is a tell tale sign of how this year could go...It's taking place in the 2012 Madden cover bracket. The makers of the classic football video game decided to let the voters determine which NFL Player was on the front cover of the video game. They picked one NFL player from all 32 teams and set up a seeding and did their own version of March Madness...doing a bracket with winners determined by the fans' votes.

Well, 32 teams went down to 16 (with Browns candidate Peyton Hillis knocking off Baltimore's Ray Rice). Then, it went down to 8 (where Peyton Hillis knocked off Falcons QB Matt Ryan). Hines 'twinkle toes' Ward got knocked out in the round of 16 and that leaves Hillis as the only AFC North rep still alive.

Obviously, the voting for Madden has direct correlations to who wins that year. I haven't found the statistical data to prove that, but it has to be true. Browns fans, go to ESPN.com and vote for Peyton Hillis! Our destiny to be in the playoffs this year is dependent on this!

1 comment:

Wood said...

My first comment was going to be -- Browns in the playoffs? You should have titled this post the same as Sundays!! But, I did some quick research -- hope this isnt too long...
After Eddie George appeared on the 2001 cover, the Tennessee Titans lost in the 2001 playoffs. George also never averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry for the rest of his career.
Daunte Culpepper led the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs in 2000, but after appearing on the Madden 2002 cover, he 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, and his career (and the success of the St. Louis Rams) severely declined afterwards. 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.
After appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 2004, Michael Vick broke his leg in pre-season and missed the first 12 games, with the Atlanta Falcons going 5–11.

Ray Lewis, 2005 cover athlete and middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, had his season cut short in week 15 with a wrist injury. It was also Lewis' first season without an interception.

2006, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his right knee while jumping out of bounds in a game versus the Tennessee Titans, ending his season. McNabb also suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season.
Running back Shaun Alexander, then the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player, was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2007, and sustained a foot injury that caused him to miss six starts.
As a result, Alexander’s rushing statistics were substantially less than those from the previous season, and he never returned to true form. Alexander himself has asked, “Do you want to be hurt and on the cover, or just hurt?"
Madden NFL 2008's cover featured Vince Young, the starting quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. Young missed one game of the 2007 season due to a minor injury, but for the rest of the season was roughly even with his 2006 performance. When Young appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to officially announce that he would appear on the cover of Madden NFL 2008, he derided allegations of becoming the curse’s next victim, and 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."
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, which prompted EA to release a new cover online. Though he did not miss any games, he led the league in interceptions throwing 22. He later admitted to suffering a torn biceps injury. ,
2009, Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals and strong believer in the curse,and safety Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, were both featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10. Polamalu sprained his MCL in the first half of the season opener and missed the next four games. After returning, Polamalu played in three more games before injuring his posterior cruciate ligament on November 14, 2009. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, started all 16 regular season and both playoff games for the Cardinals. He recorded 97 receptions (third-most of his NFL career), 1,092 yards (fourth-most), and a career-high 13 touchdowns.