http://www.gamedailyxl.com/2007/04/13/madden-cover-guy-to-be-revealed-on-kimmel-on-tuesday/ According to abc.com, the cover athlete for the Madden NFL 08 video game will be a guest on the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' show on Tuesday, April 17 at 12:05 am (technically Wednesday morning)/11:05 pm central. Kimmel is a friend to the Madden game ? Shaun Alexander, the Madden NFL 07 video game cover boy, appeared on the show to talk pigskin and video games last July and during Maddenoliday last August, 'Live' hosted a week of bands featured on the Madden 07 game including Cartel and Panic Channel. Revealing the cover athlete on the late night show, watched by an average of 1.8 million viewers, is a new approach to publicizing the marriage of a pro-athlete with a sports video game. Usually, sites like ours get a short press release which results in a short news blurb and then we get a few interview questions in with the pro before the game goes on sale. By taking this announcement to TV, Team Madden is stating that the cover athlete means more to the game by making him a spokesperson and the game is significant to an audience bigger than us gamers. Speculation on who the lucky (or unlucky if you believe in the Madden Curse) cover athlete is has sprung up on the web. ESPN.com proposes nine candidates and offers odds on the pick. For example, Peyton Manning, the QB of the Super Bowl winning Colts, is a 7-2 pick for the cover. Chad Johnson (8-1) and Reggie Bush (10-1) have greater odds because they recently graced the cover of EA Sports NFL Street 3 and NCAA Football 08 respectively. Others in the running are Tom Brady (5-1), Ladanian Tomlinson (9-1), Vince Young (12-1), Larry Johnson (15-1) and Brian Urlacher (20-1). Devin Hester has the longest odds at 100-1 because he only returns kicks and punts at this point. We'll be watching Jimmy with ya on Tuesday to find out who the cover guy is and will post our thoughts on the merits of the pick. Until then, who do you think EA Sports will pick?
Vince Young will be on the cover of Madden 2008. Last year's victim of the "Madden Curse" was Shaun Alexander, who dealt with a foot injury all season and finished with a career low 3.6 yards-per-carry. Others who've been cursed recently include Marshall Faulk (2003), Michael Vick (2004), Ray Lewis ('05), and Donovan McNabb ('06). Apr. 16 - 8:54 pm et
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=33&screen=news&news_id=55690 Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young will be on the cover of the EA Sports Madden 2008 video game. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Young’s gracing the cover of the game to The City Paper. Efforts to reach EA Sports were unsuccessful on Monday. An official announcement is expected on Tuesday and Young will appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" as part of the kickoff promotion for the newest version the popular NFL video game that is endorsed by NFL Hall of Fame coach and analyst John Madden. Of course, appearing on the cover of the game has produced a “jinx” of sorts in recent seasons. Several players, including former Titan Eddie George, have graced the cover, then succumbed to injury or ineffectiveness in the season they were on the game’s front. George was on the cover during the 2001 season, the year he suffered through a toe injury. In 2000, George had rushed for a career-high 1,509 yards. Because of the injury, George managed just 939 yards in 2001 as the Titans slumped from 13-3 to 7-9. Other prominent players to fall victim to the Madden Curse include quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper and last year’s cover man Shaun Alexander. Young apparently will also appear in commercial spots for the game that will be aired during coverage of the NFL Draft. Another shitty QB is on the cover.......lame. EA sure loves the black QB.
Tuesday, 04/17/07 Young on Madden game cover Agent says Titans QB doesn't believe in jinx By JIM WYATT Staff Writer Vince Young has survived the so-called Sports Illustrated jinx ? three times to be exact. Can he escape the Madden curse? It looks like everyone will get a chance to find out this fall. Young's agent said the Titans quarterback has been told he'll appear on the cover of Madden '08, the popular football video game that features one NFL star on its package each year. Whether it's a coincidence or a curse, however, recent players have been injured the year they appeared on the cover. "We don't believe in no jinx,'' agent Major Adams said. "People said when they put Vince on the cover of Sports Illustrated (that) it was going to jinx him in the Rose Bowl game, and (Texas) won the national championship. "We don't believe in stuff like that. In the unfortunate event he gets hurt, it is just a part of the game, not because you have the cover.'' Officials from EA Sports wouldn't confirm Young is this year's choice for the cover, which will be announced officially on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show airs at 11 tonight on ABC. The past six cover players have been injured. Seattle running back Shaun Alexander was on the cover of Madden '07, and he broke a bone in his left foot early in the season. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a sports hernia the season he was on the cover of Madden '06. Before that, it was Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (wrist) and Madden '05, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick (broken leg in exhibition game) and Madden '04, Marshall Faulk (ankle) and Madden '03, and Dante Culpepper (knee) and Madden '02. The last player to not be injured was former Titan Eddie George, who appeared on the cover of Madden '01. In fact, that season (2000-01) was George's best as a pro. "Being on the cover of Madden is such a big honor nowadays; no one ever turns us down because of (the so-called curse), that's for sure,'' said Chris Erb, director of marketing for EA Sports. On Internet sites, there's been plenty of speculation about who might be on this year's cover for weeks. On Tuesday, Young's marketing manager, Mike Mu, said Young is scheduled to be in Los Angeles for the taping on the Jimmy Kimmel Show but wouldn't reveal for what reason. On abc.com, Kimmel's guests are listed as actor Paul Reubens, the fourth eliminated contestant from Dancing with the Stars, musical guest Silversun Pickups and the Madden video game cover athlete (to be revealed on the show). Young was the NFL's offensive rookie of the year in 2006, when he guided the Titans to six straight wins at the end of the season. "Everyone wants to be the Madden guy," Erb said. "The issue is the guys that have been on the cover tend to be the guys that are around the football more often, and football is a rough sport. "We've had a string of unfortunate incidents I guess you could say ? but we really don't believe in the jinx.''
Well hes screwed now. Either hes going down with an injury or will get hit with the sophmore jinx, but if theres any consolation hes gonna have a very high rating in the game.
I had such high expectations for him, too. A football player not superstitious? That's a lie if I've ever heard one.
I was going to say whoever photoshopped that picture did an awesome job on VY. Then I realized "whoever" = EA Sports.
I want to know how to give people that "look" in photoshop. Do you have a tutorial or anything Soss? Anyone?
i hope that they dont follow the trends of the other covers i.e the position of the cover player is getting adjusted. What needs to get adjusted is the DB PLAY!!!!! I hope that All-Pro football is the same quality as their past games because it will force EA to get off their lazy asses and try and get a good game out there
I wonder if players were turning down being on the cover though, cause Vince Young doesn't seem to be the most deserving. Was he really all that great last year besides a few plays he made with his feet?
