By: Ryan Welte
THE OPINION COLUMN
Madden NFL 2014 has made its plan for how the cover vote will work. It will be a lot like last year in that people vote online for their favorite players on a
Madden's Battle
Of the Ages
bracket, elimination style. Round by round players beat other players until the final round, when only two players remain and one is given the honor of gracing the cover of Madden. This year though is a special year. 2014 will be the 25th anniversary for Madden and they are planning for something special. This year there will be two brackets, one for current players and one for the past generations of players. It would be stunning to me if an old generation player did not win, but then again I have to remember the crowd voting on this. I love voting for the cover and I won't vote for anyone playing today over Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino, etc.
Also, the famous "Madden Curse" would be out of the picture if an old timer won. I'm not a huge believer in the Madden Curse, although it has proven true before many times. The Madden Curse failed us this yeart though. Calvin Johnson set an all time record with nearly 2,000 yards receiving.
I will vote for a former player over a current one any day. That's because I love the game and respect it's history. Some of the other people that are willing to go out of their way to vote for the cover are more interested in the player's Super-Star status and will vote for a player from this generation just becuase that is all they know.
That's why I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if even Robert Griffin III wins it.
While I agree that players like Calvin Johnson, Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, and Darrelle Revis could eventually be known as the greatest to ever play their positions, let them pay their dues. They aren't there yet and show some respect to the players that built the foundation that is now our Nation's favorite sport. Maybe those kind of players can win it on Madden's 50th Anniversary.