Some believe if an NFL player graces the covers of Madden NFL video games they are doomed by a curse to injury or subsequent obscurity. Here is the curse’s toll so far...
2000 – Barry Sanders: This running back shocked the Lions by abruptly announcing his retirement and did not play a single down that season. Since Barry Sanders quit before the start of the season he was replaced by Dorsey Levens who was bothered by a bad knee through out the season and was released in 2001 from the Green Bay Packers.
2001 – Eddie George: This Tennessee Titan running back bobbled a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown and the team suffered a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs. The following season hampered with injuries, his rushing averaged was at an all-time low.
2002 - Daunte Culpepper: The Minnesota Vikings quarterback suffered a knee injury and missed the last five games of the year.
2003 - Marshall Faulk: Plagued by an ankle injury from the prior year, this St. Louis Rams running back's rushing yards dropped to under a 1000 and the Rams missed the playoffs.
2004 – Michael Vick: The Atlanta Falcons quarterback suffered a fractured right fibula in a pre-season game one day after Madden NFL 2004 hit store shelves.
2005 - Ray Lewis: Suffered a torn right hamstring in the 6th game causing this Baltimore Raven running back to miss the rest of the season.
2006 - Donovan McNabb: The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback flouted the curse by saying that the injuries associated with it "might be a trend, but I don't believe in the curse at all." True to form, McNabb suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season. He played on for another eight games despite the painful injury, but after being re-injured in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, he finally opted for surgery and missed the final seven games of the season as the Eagles finished last in the NFC East.
2007: Shaun Alexander: This Seattle Seahawks running back, with a 5.1 yards per carry rushing average, spurred his team to their best season ever and first Super Bowl appearance in the prior season. Then three weeks in to the new season, he broke his left foot in a game against the New York Giants and missed his team's next six games.
2008: Vince Young: The Tennessee Titans quarterback hurt the quadriceps in his right leg during the Titans' fifth game of the season and didn't participate in Tennessee's game against the Houston Texans the following week, marking the first time in his career (including middle school, high school, college, and the NFL) that an injury kept him from playing.
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