Since 2001, seven of the nine athletes chosen for the cover of Madden NFL have ended up injured or ineffective after that season. "I never really thought the curse was real," says Madden NFL senior project manager Anthony Stevenson. "But last year, after Brett Favre's own team didn't want him back, I changed my tune a bit." Not that superstition affects sales: The 2009 edition moved a record-high 2.3 million copies in its first month. This year's cover has two athletes, the Steelers' Troy Polamalu and the Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald. Stevenson hopes that will "reverse the curse." If not, at least John Madden, who in April announced his retirement from play by play, can go out with a big "boom!" -- DM

Fri, August 14
Tackle
Madden NFL 10

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