All Articles: Madden NFL 13

The votes from the “play-in round” have been tabulated and the 32-man Madden NFL 13 cover bracket is now live at ESPN’s SportsNation site.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were seeded by EA Sports in the number one slots. New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski and Victor Cruz of the New York Giants are nipping at their heels as the number twos.

By scheduling the “play-in round” before the beginning of free agency, several teams won’t be represented in the final bracket while others have multiple players in the tournament. Brandon Lloyd was selected as the player from the St. Louis Rams, but he’ll don a Patriots jersey this Fall and Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets just minutes before the bracket was unveiled.

You can check out the complete bracket after the break and remember to vote in Round One of the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote, which runs from today until March 28. (more…)

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

And we’ve reached the end. With this batch of nominees, the Madden-maker has revealed every division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC North:

Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler or Matt Forte

Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson or Matthew Stafford

Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers or Clay Matthews

Minnesota Vikings
Jared Allen or Percy Harvin

It looks like EA saved the best for last as the NFC North nominees may be, on the average, the best eight chosen. Especially when that list includes players like Aaron Rodgers (one of the best quarterbacks in the league), Calvin Johnson (one of the best wide receivers in the league), and Matt Forte (one of the best running backs in the league).

So that’s it. We’re done. Get ready to vote on the play-in matches tomorrow and be sure to review all the other nominees. The Madden Curse is hungry!

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

With just two to go, the Madden-maker has continued to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens
Ray Rice or Terrell Suggs

Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton or A.J. Green

Cleveland Browns
Joe Haden or Joe Thomas

Pittsburgh Steelers
Troy Polamalu or Ben Roethlisberger

I don’t think anyone’s surprised, but Peyton Hillis isn’t in the running for the Madden NFL 13 cover. The Madden Curse doesn’t statistically exist, but it’s hard to argue that anyone has ever been hit by it as hard as Hillis.

But among the actual AFC North nominees, I think Baltimore’s Ray Rice has the best shot at the cover. The Raven running back ran for 12 touchdowns, caught three more, and even threw one himself in 2011. That’s impressive.

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker has revealed each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones or Matt Ryan

Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton or Steve Smith

New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees or Jimmy Graham

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LeGarrette Blount or Josh Freeman

In 2011, Drew Brees set single-season records for most passing yards, most games over 250 yards, most games over 300 yards, most games over 350 yards, most completions, and highest completion percentage. In short, the man was a passing machine and made quarterbacks like Josh Freeman and Matt Ryan look like rank amateurs. But I wouldn’t count out Cam Newton, he’s the kind of exciting young quarterback that EA Sports used to pick for the cover back when they did the picking themselves.

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker will continue to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the AFC South:

Houston Texans
Arian Foster or Andre Johnson

Indianapolis Colts
Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis

Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert or Maurice Jones-Drew

Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson or Jake Locker

Andre Johnson didn’t have a great 2011 (in fact, he spent more time injured then he did on the field), but the Texans play-in matchup is certainly the most interesting so far. But out of this eight, it’s hard to argue, except for Arian Foster, that any of them are deserving of the cover of Madden NFL 13.

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker will continue to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys
DeMarcus Ware or Jason Witten

New York Giants
Victor Cruz or Jason Pierre-Paul

Philadelphia Eagles
LeSean McCoy or Michael Vick

Washington Redskins
Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo

With their Super Bowl victory, the G-Men (Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul) obviously have a leg-up in the Madden NFL 13 cover competition. Especially because both players delivered big performances during the playoffs. But don’t count out LeSean McCoy or Michael Vick. Vick is a former Madden coverboy and McCoy is one of the best running backs in the league.

Of course, even with Vick’s on-the-field credentials, many people have other reasons not to vote for him.

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker will continue to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills
Ryan Fitzpatrick or Stevie Johnson

Miami Dolphins
Reggie Bush or Brandon Marshall

New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski or Wes Welker

New York Jets
Darrelle Revis or Mark Sanchez

A Tight End has never been chosen as the cover athlete for any Madden NFL release. Even though we’re less than halfway through the nominees, I think New England’s Rob Gronkowski has a very good chance of breaking down that barrier. Statistically, there was no better receiver in the NFL in 2011.

Oh, but uh, I guess Wes Welker is pretty good too. So it’s probably too early to make that kind of prediction.

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker will continue to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC West:

Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald or Patrick Peterson

San Francisco 49ers
Vernon Davis or Patrick Willis

Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch or Earl Thomas

St. Louis Rams
Brandon Lloyd or Chris Long

Now we’re getting somewhere. Fitzgerald is a former Madden coverboy and Patrick Willis is one of the best defensive players in the league. But are either of them deserving for the cover of Madden NFL 13? They’ve got to come out on top of the play-in round first.