Brett Favre set to (probably) break the Madden "curse"

As the first retired player ever to grace the cover of a "Madden" game, the legendary Green Bay Packers QB should be able to dodge the dreaded Madden curse—as long as he stays retired, that is.

Madden developer EA just announced that the grizzled Favre—whose 17-year NFL career includes two Super Bowl appearances and one win—will appear on the cover of Madden '09, which marks the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

Of course, Favre, who made a serious run at the NFC Championship with the resurgent Packers last season, follows a long line of gridiron stars whose careers took hits after they made the Madden cover.

Just check out some of the worst cases (courtesy of the ever-reliable Wikipedia): Garrison Hearst (1999, broken ankle in the playoffs), Eddie George (2001, just three yards per carry thanks to persistent toe injury), Marshall Faulk (2003, ankle injury lead to steep decline in rushing yards), Michael Vick (2004, broke leg in the preseason and missed the rest of the year), and Shaun Alexander (2007, fractured a bone in his foot and missed six games).

As Wikipedia points out, 2008 cover player Vince Young had a pretty decent year and lead the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs. However, San Diego Charger Luis Castillo, who made the 2008 cover of the Spanish-language edition of Madden, hurt his ankle and sat out six games.

But Favre, who finally retired at the end of the 2008 season, should be exempt from the curse, right?

Well, here's the problem—Favre, who never missed a start as the Packers QB, keeps hinting that he might not be done with the NFL after all. (I knew it!)

Guess we'll see what happens come minicamp. In the meantime, look for Madden '09 to hit the streets this August.

Related:
Brett Favre Graces Madden 09 Cover [Wired News]