The Madden Cover Curse

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson will grace the cover of Madden NFL 13 after winning Electronic Arts' fan poll. But can he survive the Madden cover curse that has plagued previous winners? Johnson is coming off a stellar season in which he caught 96 passes for 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns, but we're already a little nervous about his ability to repeat the feat following recent comments that indicate he'd rather see fewer balls thrown his way as the Lions move toward a more balanced rushing-passing attack. Less Megatron? Megabummer.

If you're not familiar with it, the Madden Curse is the phenomenon where whomever is on the cover of the game suffers at least a season, if not a career, collapse. SI.com takes a look at the progression of the Curse.

NOTE: Each Madden cover is dated a year ahead of its actual release. For example, Madden 2000 was available prior to the 1999 season and Madden 12 prior to the 2011 season.