Will the Madden Curse Get Vince Young? - Bodog Has Odds

It was just announced that Titans’ QB Vince Young will be featured on the cover of the 2008 edition of the Madden NFL video game. While this certainly indicates how far the young signal-caller came in his first year, it’s also cause for concern. Why? Because of the dreaded Madden Curse.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this phenomenon, it’s the superstitious belief that a player’s appearance on the cover of a Madden game will signal an impending injury or poor performance.

Sounds like a bunch of nonsense, right? Well, just take a look at this list and then tell me if you still think it’s hooey. Damn you and your voodoo powers, John Madden.

Madden NFL ‘99 - Garrison Hearst was the first player featured on the cover of a Madden game. He led the 49ers to the playoffs against the Falcons, then promptly broke his ankle on the first play of the game. He would not play again until the 2001 season.

Madden NFL ‘00 - Barry Sanders was featured on the cover. A week before training camp, he abruptly retired. Dorsey Levens was pictured on the cover in PAL regions. After an amazing season in 1999, he gained only 224 yards from scrimmage in 2000.

Madden NFL ‘01 - Eddie George was placed on the cover and went on to have career highs in yardage and touchdowns. But he had a costly fumble in the playoffs which cost his team the game. The following year, he suffered an injury and had career lows in yards and touchdowns. He was never the same.

Madden NFL ‘02 - Next on the cover was QB Daunte Culpepper. He struggled in the first half of the season, then suffered a knee injury in Week 11 which ended his year.

Madden NFL ‘03 - Marshall Faulk was placed on the cover. He suffered an ankle injury and missed 5 games. He never broke 1,000 yards for the remainder of his career.

Madden NFL ‘04 - QB Michael Vick fractured his fibula in a preseason game. His team finished the year with a pathetic record of 5 wins and 11 losses.

Madden NFL ‘05 - LB Ray Lewis became the first defensive player to appear on the cover. Although having a career-high in interceptions the previous year, he finished this season with zero. The following season, he suffered an injury in Week 5 and missed the rest of the season.

Madden NFL ‘06 - QB Donovan McNabb was next up. He spent the year in a nasty feud with teammate Terrell Owens. He suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season and was eventually forced to have season-ending surgery.

Madden NFL ‘07 - RB Shaun Alexander was coming off a MVP season when he was placed on the Madden cover. In the first game of the season, he fractured a bone in his foot and missed six games because of the injury. He failed to break the 1,000 yard mark that season.

WILL VINCE YOUNG SUFFER THE MADDEN CURSE? BODOG HAS YOU COVERED

So the question remains, will Vince Young succumb to the Madden Curse and miss significant time due to injury? Luckily, the good folks at Bodog have you covered. You can bet on whether or not Vince Young will miss two consecutive games due to injury in the 2007 season. Suspensions and holdouts do not count, and the maximum amount that can be wagered is $100.

Here are the current odds…

Yes = -140

No = Even Money

If you’re a Titans fan, keep your fingers crossed. And speaking of football, you might want to check out the following articles:

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Will the Madden Curse Get Vince Young? - Bodog Has Odds