NFC Norris 2012...

[klecker]

Doesnt that statement at the bottom of your post basically say he had 3 in college alone?? (unless im reading it wrong)

Either way, Best is a good back... too bad he cant stay healthy.

And yes there are major and minor concussions. Didnt A roj play the next game after one of his? I would call that minor.

Nope just three, the major one in college and one both years in the NFL.

Here is the college one. Caused by bouncing his head of the turf.

Yes Arod did but with all the law suits now dealing with concussions. The NFL is on crack down mode now. Owners and the league offices.

[goblueM]

Oh man, don't even get me started on the Madden Curse. Hard to believe that any adult would actually believe in that nonsense

[LMITOUT]

The facts speak for themselves.

[goblueM]

The facts speak for themselves.

Indeed they do. http://kotaku.com/347001/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-madden-curse

No need to respond, I know you're trolling, but figured I would put them up for other folks who aren't 100% contrarian all the time

[mrklean]

http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/04/27/the-madden-curse-a-history/#end

[LMITOUT]

Indeed they do. http://kotaku.com/347001/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-madden-curse

No need to respond, I know you're trolling, but figured I would put them up for other folks who aren't 100% contrarian all the time

Almost every one of the players on the cover were injured that season...way too coincidental.

1999 - Garrison Hearst: Broken fibula

2000 - Barry Sanders: Retired prior to training camp. Dorsey Levens: Injured knee

2002 - Culpepper: Vikings went 4-7 after going to the NFC Championship the year before. 18TDs/23INTs. Season ending knee injury.

2003 - Marshall Faulk: Ankle injury and didn't break 1000yds.

2004 - Michael Vick: Broke leg in preseason.

2005 - Ray Lewis: Tore hamstring. (granted, it was the end of the year)

2006 - McNabb: Season ending hernia surgery.

2007 - Shaun Alexander: Broken foot in week #3.

2008 - Vince Young: Quad injury after five weeks and then was on suicide watch. Tomlinson was supposed to be on cover but declined. Had a great season.

2009 - Favre: Injured bicep and lost 4 of last 5 games.

2010 - Polamalu: sprained MCL, only played 5 games. Fitzgerald: rib injury which kept him from playing in the playoffs and Pro Bowl.

2011 - Brees: Lost in the playoffs to a team with a losing regular season record. (bit of a stretch)

2012 - Peyton Hills: Injured hamstring. Released at the end of the year.

[goblueM]

Its great how the curse convienently morphs from year to year. Barry retires? Curse. Ray Lewis doesn't have an interception? Oh thats the curse. Faulk doesn't break 1000 yards rushing (even though he had 1490 yards from scrimmage?)? Cursed.

Lol. Even if those guys made the pro-bowl the year they were on the cover, folks still invent some way they were cursed.

[LMITOUT]

No morphing. Injuries are injuries.

Barry retired but Levens replaced him on the cover (there were two covers). Levens was then injured that year.

Lewis - injured

Faulk - injured

[Scott M]

LOL, I get it, Megatrons on the cover and goblue's talking himself out of worrying!

[LMITOUT]

Ding ding ding!!!

[mrklean]

Stafford will get hurt probably shoulder so megatron won't have a good qb throwing to him has just under 1000 yards 7 td

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Gross, Megtron is on the cover?? I was maybe going to take him with the 5th pick in my fantasy league this year.... there goes that strategy.

[goblueM]

Definitely, it's totally not because curses don't exist. I bet you all think Ghost Hunters is real, too

[Scott M]

Megatron is going to need to pick it up, on pace for 2 TDs this year.

[LMITOUT]

[Antero]

Has anyone not on the cover been injured?

[LMITOUT]

That's a clown question, bro.

[countyline]

Megatron is going to need to pick it up, on pace for 2 TDs this year.

I'm sure that if he only scores two total all year it will go down as the Madden curse.

Also positive that if he doesn't gain 1600+ yards this season it will be because of the curse. Since only two WR's have ever had two 1600+ yard seasons in their careers. Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison are the only two to ever have two 1600+ seasons twice in their career. No one has ever done it back to back. These guys are not playing fantasy football. His TD total might be down but the team has also has exceeded their rushing TD's from last year in only 8 games. If that continues they will more than double it from last year. Those TD's have to come from some where, and its gonna be from the passing game.

[Scott M]

He's been a noticeably different player since he got concussed by Chad Greenway and Harrison Smith. More drops and he's mentioned a couple lingering injuries:

Calvin Johnson said Thursday that he suffered nerve damage from hits suffered in the Detroit Lions' loss to the Minnesota Vikings in September, which has made it hard for him to grip the ball.

The Detroit Free Press highlighted two particular hits Johnson suffered in the Week 4 game, one by safety Harrison Smith to Johnson's upper chest that prevented a touchdown, and a helmet-to-helmet hit by linebacker Chad Greenway. Greenway was fined $21,000 for that hit, which Johnson said Thursday gave him a concussion.

NFC North blog

Seifert ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert writes about all things NFC North in his division blog.

• NFL Nation blog

"Actually had some nerve damage," Johnson said. "Taking those hits, man, they're real violent. They definitely have a lot of lingering impact. ... Stuff shooting down your arms and stuff like that."

Lions coach Jim Schwartz, however, disputed Johnson's claim that he was concussed on the hit, the Free Press reported.

The Lions had a bye following that game, but the newspaper reported that Johnson had at least three drops in the three games after the bye.

Johnson pointed to the nerve damage as one of the reasons for those drops. When asked if the hits made him reluctant to go over the middle to catch passes, Johnson told the newspaper that the nerve damage "was kind of messing up my grip a little bit."

He described the pain from the injury as "just stuff shooting down your arm," the newspaper reported.

Johnson didn't practice last week due to knee pain but still managed to catch seven passes for 129 yards in Sunday's victory at Jacksonville.

He hasn't practiced this week, either.

"It's coming along. Definitely feels better than it was at this point last week," Johnson said. "I've just been doing a lot of stuff in weight room, just to strengthen the muscle around it."

Johnson said he's feeling better, however, as the Lions prepare to face the Vikings on Sunday for the second time this season.

"It's definitely coming back, feeling a lot better, but it's the middle of the season," he told the Free Press.

The 27-year-old Johnson has just one touchdown reception this season, a year after finishing second in the NFL with 16 touchdown catches. He ranks third in the NFL this season with 767 receiving yards, however. He led the NFL last season with 1,681 yards.

Call it what you want, call it players having to regress to the mean since they've played so well, call it freak injuries, but don't deny there isn't a noticeable trend with players on the cover of Madden.

[countyline]

He's been a noticeably different player since he got concussed by Chad Greenway and Harrison Smith. More drops and he's mentioned a couple lingering injuries:

Call it what you want, call it players having to regress to the mean since they've played so well, call it freak injuries, but don't deny there isn't a noticeable trend with players on the cover of Madden.

So being on the same pace for number of catches as last year. 48 so far after 8 games when he had 96 last year. On pace for over 1500 yards. Down from 1681 last year. NO one has ever recorded 1600 yard seasons back to back. TD's down drastically from last year that's about it. Has not missed a game yet. How many times has he seen one on one coverage this year compared to last year???? Playing against double to triple coverage more than any WR in pro football. The guy can play hurt and still demand the coverage teams are putting on him. When teams decide to triple and double cover in the red zone, Detroit learned their lesson against Chicago. Run it in. He has eight games left then we can revisit this topic.

[Scott K]

I am sure he will score a couple TD's this weekend

[FISHINGURU]

The Madden curse is real. I'd never want any player I like to be on there, definitely won't ever draft anyone on my fantasy football team that is on the cover...lesson learned.

[Scott M]

Bump

[klecker]

AP will win the cover next year. What he did this year he is a lock.

[Craigums]

The Madden curse is real. I'd never want any player I like to be on there, definitely won't ever draft anyone on my fantasy football team that is on the cover...lesson learned.

Calvin Johnson laughs at this

[FISHINGURU]

I doubt he's laughing to hard at his 5 TD season. Atleast he got a bunch of garbage time yardage. It only took the most passing attempts in NFL history!!

[klecker]

I doubt he's laughing to hard at his 5 TD season. Atleast he got a bunch of garbage time yardage. It only took the most passing attempts in NFL history!!

And he did it facing double and triple coverage the entire season.

Not his fault the #2, #3, #4 WR got the IR tag. #1 TE missed a few games, and he became the only option. It is his third season with 5 or less.

You would think that because half of the teams every week are in a scramble to come back from behind we would see several WR's with yardage numbers close to what he put up.

Now after RGIII gets bounced from playoffs the next madden cover will be AP.

[FISHINGURU]

He's a beast don't get me wrong but teams don't double and triple cover in garbage time.

You wouldn't think other WR's on other teams would come close because almost all other teams have a few other options and not just him. Another thing is them WR's don't get to play the Vikes and Packers 4 times lol.

Calvin gets shut down pretty good against the better defenses that know how to play him smart.

I hope AP don't make the cover.

[mrklean]

Stafford had 727 pass attempts with over 200 to Johnson he should have almost 2000 yards. Lions 2011 10-6, 4-12 this year year the curse is real

[klecker]

Cover vote

Looks like Peterson has a favorable bracket. Round One VS. Carson Palmer.

Vote Away boys and girls.