2 football careers down the drain:

[Are_grits_groceries]

Polamalu, Fitzgerald Land Madden NFL 10 Cover



Wonder what will happen?

[NightWatcher]

1. dont they know about the curse?

I have heard anecdotes about certain players who refused to be on game boxes because of it

[Blue_Tires]

2. well they have always been rolling the dice with all that hair

don't they know it's legal to grab because its considered part of the uniform? (or at least used to be)

[nomorenomore08]

5. I think they might've changed the rules just because of Polamalu.

That one clip of him getting dragged down by his hair, while nowhere near the Theismann leg break on the OUCH scale, was in a similar vein of "God that must hurt!"

[Bertha Venation]

3. Something like the Sports Illustrated curse? That is REAL, man

I know because of the Angels in 1986. I still :cry:

[KamaAina]

8. A most impressive feat, indeed.

You managed to mention "curse" and "1986" in the same post -- and somehow make it about the Angels! :eyes:

Well played, in a macabre sort of way...

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. Vince Young was on it last year.

He just scoffed at the curse. He had a meltdown or something during the season.

[jobycom]

6. He was on it his second season, and had a decent season.

He threw a lot of interceptions, but wasn't bad. His next year was the meltdown, and he hasn't started since.

Here's a fun site on the curse: http://fantom1979.homeip.net/madden.html
Some players had no letdown. Eddie George had a spectacular year. Some players were only on it because they had breakout years, and didn't match them again.

The most exciting players are the ones who have unexpectedly great years--the average player who burns up the field. They are the ones who everyone watches, and so they wind up on covers of Sports Illustrated and Madden NFL. When they return to normal the next year, or get injured from playing over their head or because they are a bigger target the following year, people blame it on a curse.

Then there was Barry Sanders, who, after it was announced he's by on the Madden NFL cover, promptly retired. :rofl: Maybe the two events weren't connected, but in a another few years it will make a great story, anyway.

[jobycom]

7. As one player said, would you rather be on it and hurt, or just hurt?