Peyton Hillis: Madden Curse Has Doomed Browns' RB for Near Future

As the problems for Cleveland Brown's running back Peyton Hillis continue to mount, one cannot help but wonder if the Madden curse has struck once again.

The Madden Curse

Every year, a different player is chosen to be on the cover of the annual Madden football video game. The player chosen is usually one coming off a strong season and is expected to post similar stats in the coming year.

However, many of the players featured on the cover of the game end up having troubled seasons. Injury is usually the main result of the Madden curse, but poor performance on the field has also plagued the cursed players.

Famous Players Affected by the Curse

In recent years, players such as Drew Brees, Troy Polamalu, Brett Favre, and Shaun Alexander have graced the Madden cover. All of those players ended up having disappointing seasons in several different ways.

Brees was featured in 2011, and while he had a great individual season, his team lost to the underwhelming Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs.

Polamalu only played in five games during the season in which he was featured, and Alexander missed six games due to a broken foot and never returned to his MVP-caliber of play.

Favre was traded to the New York Jets during his cover year and failed to lead his new team to the playoffs which they were expected to make easily.

Hillis' Curse

After a breakout season that saw him rush for 1,177 yards and score 11 touchdowns, Hillis was voted onto the cover of Madden by NFL fans. He beat out Michael Vick in the final round of voting and was expected to have another dynamic season for the oft-criticized Cleveland Browns.

However, Hillis has encountered nothing but problems since the season began. He has missed a game he chose not to play in because of strep throat, has seen a low number of carries in several games and is currently dealing with a strained hamstring.

Many fans thought that Hillis would also be traded by the deadline due to his lack of playing time and contract dispute with the Browns.

What Will Happen Next?

For those fans that believe in the curse, it is only a matter of time before something else negatively affects Hillis' 2011 season. For those that chalk up the curse to nothing more than coincidence, Hillis may start to have an improved season.

Whichever way it ends up going, Hillis' troubles thus far into the season have only added more fuel to the fire that the Madden curse is real.

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