Madden NFL 13 Cover: Breaking Down the Remaining Candidates

With the 2012 NFL season just around the corner, faithful gamers are already prepping for the annual release of the Madden football franchise’s latest game.

The biggest question left to answer will be which of the following stars is forced to grace the cover of the newest game. I say "forced" because of the ominous Madden curse that is very real.

As terrifying as it is to have that hang over you, we power-ranked the remaining contenders in the contest to show you the most likely to get on the cover and those who have no shot.

Cam Newton

With most experts calling for his utter flop, Rookie of the Year Cam Newton has proven everyone wrong along the way and has built quite the following already. With an amazing rookie campaign and swagger for days, Newton will win this contest easily and have a terrible sophomore season. Thanks, Madden curse.

Calvin Johnson

After one of the greatest receiver years in NFL history, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson is more than deserving for the front cover of Madden. The trouble is that he is on my fantasy team and we can’t have a bad year from the ‘Tron.

Rob Gronkowski

The sensation that Rob Gronkowski has become in New England is something very seldom seen from a team that keeps such a low profile. Having the star tight end on the cover would create more publicity than Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will like, so it is bound to not happen; even if he has to vote a thousand times.

Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers are praying that my power rankings are correct, because the last thing they want is their star QB on the front cover of Madden. They’ve been down that road before…

Larry Fitzgerald

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has graced the cover of Madden before, but the fans of the NFL as a whole like this man. With such a huge following across the world, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fitz make it far. He is my sleeper pick.

Victor Cruz

While New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has garnered a ton of publicity because of his vital role in the team’s Super Bowl run, he isn’t the kind of one-year wonder Madden wants gracing their cover.

Ray Rice

While the Baltimore Ravens star running back Ray Rice has proved that he not only deserves to be in the NFL at his size, but deserves to be mentioned as one of the best dual-threat running backs today, he does not have the popular name to grace the cover of the game.

Patrick Willis

Besides the fact that Madden hates defensive players and hardly ever uses them to grace their covers, Patrick Willis isn’t well-known enough to get the fan vote required to make it on. As much as real football fans love him and the way he plays the game, he lacks the mainstream appeal needed by a cover boy.

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