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Forget the Curse! I Want Calvin Johnson On The Cover Of Madden 13!

By: Ryan Wooley

Every year around this time we start to learn about the latest installment of Madden Football, with millions of fans waiting in anticipation for the August release.

We start to hear about the improvements to online play, Franchise mode,  and even what the new features will be, but we also learn who will grace the Cover—and who will soon be Cursed, or Curse their team because of it.

Believe it or not, the Madden Curse actually started with former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, who was the first NFL player to be featured on the Madden Cover back in 2000,  which was the same year he abruptly retired before the season, catching both the Lions and their fans off guard.

I feel with Calvin Johnson now in the Sweet 16 of the Cover Vote (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2013cover) it would only be fitting that Megatron wins the honor for a couple of reasons.

Johnson is coming off his best season, hauling in 96 catches for 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns, which was the most for any receiver last year.

The Curse doesn't always injure the cover athlete like many people think. Drew Brees who was on the cover in 2011 and had a great season statistically, but the Curse was that the Saints were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Seahawks. Vince Young was also on the cover in 2008 and led the Titans to the playoffs, but the Curse had him falling out of favor with ownership and eventually let go.

The main reason I think Calvin should grace the Cover, is that the Lions have not had a player on the front of the game since Barry, which led to the start of the Matt Millen Era, so maybe having another Lion on the Cover would finally put Detroit over the hump and not only win a playoff game, but a Super Bowl.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Why would I want to even roll the dice with putting Calvin Johnson on the Cover, and how is having CJ on the front of the game going to help on the field? Well truthfully, it won't. Nothing that EA Sports does by having a professional athlete on the Cover of their game will put numbers up during a season, or increase their chances of getting injured. It's all a coincidence.

But for everyone that is so worried about having a local player on the front of the game, I ask you what will it hurt? Are you that paranoid that Calvin will suffer a season ending injury or see his production slip?

If you answered yes to either of those, then let me tell you that since 2000 only one receiver has been on the Cover of Madden, which was Larry Fitzgerald in 2010. He didn't get injured and actually had a very productive season, collecting over 1,000 yards receiving and catching 13 touchdowns.

I personally think it's worth the risk, if you can even call it that, because I can't tell you how many times last season I heard fans say the Curse of Bobby Layne has been lifted after Matthew Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards and led the Lions to the Playoffs.

If fans believe so strongly in these Curses, then why not believe that putting another Lion on the Cover will  reverse the Curse and maybe put the Lions over the top? Let the Madden Curse start and end with Detroit—and maybe, just maybe, it will lead to a decade of success or even a Championship.

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