Is Odell Beckham Jr. Destined for Regression Regardless of 'Madden Curse'?

Dark, sinister clouds are gathering over the Big Apple. Evil forces are at work, forces set on completely and utterly destroying the NFL's most explosive rookie from a season ago.

Or, it could be that people spend way too much time in the information age looking for things that aren't there, and that New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is just appearing on the cover of a popular video game.

At any rate, the news that Beckham has become the latest cover boy for the Madden franchise is sure to bring about all sorts of ominous talk. Of curses. And regression. And zombies.

What? They're all the rage now. Watch some TV.

As NFL.com tweeted Wednesday, Beckham edged out New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to be the first face people see when they fire up the Atari:

That is what kids play today, right?

And it took about all of eight seconds after that news broke for the handwringing to start, even if it was only in jest:

Just in case you've been living under a rock for a while (or don't play video games, or don't believe in the Boogeyman), the "Madden Curse" can be explained simply. If you appear on the cover of the game, the next summer you will be attacked by a giant sea otter.

Wait, that isn't it.

As Bleacher Report's own Donald Wood broke down last year, there has been more than a little misfortune that befell Madden cover athletes in the past. Injuries. Poor performance. Bad haircuts.

Looking at you, Peyton Hillis.

However, the season after Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was chosen for the cover, he set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season. I don't recall any pianos falling on last year's cover athlete (Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks).

Well...

Malcolm Butler—agent of the forces of evil.

Well, he does play for the Patriots. (What? Too soon?)

If it seems like I'm not taking this seriously, it's because I'm not taking this seriously. Know why?

There's no such thing as curses. Or Bigfoot. Or a good Cleveland Browns team.

Now, this isn't to say that there isn't reason for everyone from New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin to fantasy football freaks (many of whom are drafting Beckham early in Round 1 this year) to be concerned that his production could slip relative to last year's rookie explosion.

Opposing defensive coordinators will have had an entire offseason to game-plan against him. Quarterback Eli Manning had one of the best statistical seasons of his career in 2014. The potential return of Victor Cruz could mean fewer looks.

G	GS	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD
12	11	91	1,305	14.3	12

If any of those things break wrong, Beckham's numbers could dip. They may well just dip anyway, at least on a per-game basis. Statistical production like Beckham put up last year is very difficult to maintain.

Touchdowns, in particular, can be a fluky stat, and it's pretty rare for any wideout to record double digits in that category in back-to-back years.

The aforementioned Johnson has managed to do it just once.

In fact, if Beckham even betters last year's numbers slightly in 16 games, the case could be made that he "regressed," given that last year's stats were posted in only 12.

And then some will flail about, bemoaning how the Madden Curse has claimed another victim.

So long as Beckham stays healthy, we've seen exactly nothing to indicate that any sort of significant regression in his ability to catch a football is coming.

Even if he doesn't do that again.

If the numbers drop, they drop. Football isn't about numbers, it's about winning, and I'd wager if you asked Beckham if he would prefer 2,000 receiving yards or 950 and a deep playoff run, the answer would be the latter.

So when Chicken Little shows up at your door freaking out about Beckham, Intellivision in hand...

What? They don't play those either?

Just smile, reach down, hand him back his tinfoil hat...

And close and lock the door.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.