NFL Blitz Fan Voting: Breaking Down the Finalists for Video Game Cover

Earlier this year, EA Sports gave fans the chance to pick a cover athlete for Madden NFL 12 via a bracket-style vote. The voting ended up being a huge success, with Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis coming away as the unlikely winner.

Now, EA Sports is going to do the same for the digital cover of NFL Blitz, albeit with a much smaller group of players to choose from.

Per EA.com, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis have all been chosen as finalists for the cover of NFL Blitz, which is due to be released on the PLAYSTATION Network and the Xbox LIVE Arcade in January.

Before you cast your vote, you better make sure you know who you're dealing with. Let's break down the three finalists and discuss why they should and shouldn't win.

Roddy White

He has a tendency to fly under the radar, but Falcons receiver Roddy White is easily one of the best wideouts in the NFL. He's posted four straight 1,000-yard seasons and is on pace to make it five straight in 2011.

In all likelihood, though, White's 2011 season is not going to match his 2010 season. White led the NFL with 115 receptions, and he had a career-high 1,389 receiving yards. He also had 10 touchdown receptions.

This year, White has 64 receptions through 11 games for 830 yards and four touchdowns.

Why He Should Win: You're probably not going to find a more dependable pass-catcher in the NFL. White is as steady as they come.

Why He Shouldn't Win: As steady as White is, he's not exactly the flashiest receiver in the league. In fact, he's not even the flashiest receiver on his own team. Rookie Julio Jones is far more explosive.

Ray Rice

At 5'8" and just over 200 pounds, Ray Rice is one of the smallest running backs you're going to come across. However, he's a tough guy to take down because he can make defenders miss with ease. To make matters worse, Rice can hurt you both running and catching the football. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL.

To give you an idea, Rice has rushed for well over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, and he will likely top 1,000 yards again this season. In addition, he had 78 receptions in 2009, 63 in 2010 and he already has 54 this year.

As a whole, the Ravens are not an elite offensive team. But without Rice, they'd never get anything done.

Why He Should Win: Rice doesn't get as much credit as he deserves. Putting him on the cover of a video game would be a proper shoutout.

Why He Shouldn't Win: If you're going to pick a Ravens player to be on the cover of a video game, you have to look to their defense. Everyone knows about Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata are studs too.

Patrick Willis

If you go asking around, people in the know are going to tell you that Patrick Willis is the best linebacker in the NFL. He's the main reason the 49ers have the best front seven in football, and he's the kind of guy that offenses have to fear when they play the 49ers.

If you're looking for statistical evidence of Willis' brilliance, he's posted over 100 tackles every year he's been in the league, and this year, he already has a career-high 12 PDs (passes defended).

But to be honest, stats don't quite do Willis justice. He's a menace, easily one of the best players in the league.

Why He Should Win: Like I said, because he's a menace.

Why He Shouldn't Win: As far as linebackers go, Willis is a little too bland. He's nowhere near as eccentric as greats like Ray Lewis or Lawrence Taylor.

In case you're wondering, voting is going to take place during the 2011 Video Game Awards on Spike TV and MTV 2 on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice will be on hand to announce the winner.

Choose wisely, my friends.