“Madden Curse” Strikes Again
Madden 07 cover athlete Shaun Alexander has suffered a cracked bone in his left foot, once again proving that the Madden Curse is real.
The history of the so-called Curse goes back to the 2000 edition of the game, when the Detroit Lions’ Barry Sanders shared the cover with John Madden. Sanders retired before training camp, so that year’s cover athlete wasn’t even on the field. In 2002, that year’s cover athlete Daunte Culpepper struggled and had his season cut short by a knee injury. The 2003 cover featured Marshall Faulk, who, after suffering an ankle injury, failed to rush for 1000 yards and never did so again in his career. Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who graced the 2004 cover, fractured his right fibula the day after the game was put on store shelves. Last year, quarterback Donovan McNabb had a troubled season, with a sports hernia in the first game and the Eagles underperforming in every possible way. - GameSpy