Madden NFL
Encyclopedia
Madden NFL is an American football
video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon
for EA Sports
. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame
r John Madden
, a well-known former Super Bowl
-winning coach
of the Oakland Raiders
and color commentator
. The games have consistently been a best seller, and has even spawned TV shows where players compete. Among the game's realistic features include sophisticated playbooks and player statistics, and voice commentary that allows players to hear the game as if it was a real TV broadcast.
The series was originally conceived by Electronic Arts
founder Trip Hawkins
, who then approached Madden in 1984 for his endorsement and expertise. Due to Madden's insistence that the game be as realistic as possible, the first version of John Madden Football was not released until 1988. The second version of the game was released in 1990, and annual versions since then. The series' name was changed to Madden NFL in 1993 after EA acquired the rights to use NFL teams and players.
Despite Madden's retirement as a broadcaster in 2009, he still continues to lend his name, as well as provide creative input, for the game.
Electronic Arts has sold more than 85 million copies of Madden NFL since 1988, and as many as two million in one week, for more than $3 billion in total sales. A team of 30 developers and more than 100 game testers works on each new Madden NFL at EA Tiburon in Orlando, Florida
. Madden continues to participate in each Madden
The game series is popular among both football fans and players; the latter often complain to Madden and EA about allegedly inaccurate ratings of their abilities, or ask for changes in their in-game appearance. Such complaints began as early as 1990, confusing the broadcaster, who did not contribute the player statistics for that year's version due to lack of time.
. For most versions of the game, this commentary was performed by Madden himself and his contemporary broadcast partner. Initially, this was Pat Summerall
(Madden's partner during his days at CBS
and Fox
during the early 1980s on through the early 2000s) until Summerall retired; the role was then filled by Al Michaels
, John's broadcast partner on ABC Monday Night Football (2002
– 2005
) and NBC Sunday Night Football
(2006
– 2008
). Madden NFL 09
would end up being the last version to feature Madden's commentary. By that time, he felt that reciting a script covering every single scenario in the game was boring and tedious, but said that in the decision to remove him from game commentary, "I feel that something is being taken away from me". Madden was replaced by Cris Collinsworth
as color commentator, who was then paired with Tom Hammond
in Madden NFL 10
, and Gus Johnson
in Madden NFL 11
.
paper and dice-based football simulation game as a teenager. The game was unsuccessful due to its complexity, and Hawkins hoped to one day delegate its rules to a computer. He wrote a football simulation for the PDP-11
minicomputer at Harvard College
, and after founding Electronic Arts in 1982 the company began designing a football game for the era's microcomputers. Hawkins first approached Joe Montana
to endorse the proposed game but the quarterback already had an endorsement deal with Atari
, and his second choice, Cal
coach Joe Kapp
, demanded royalties.
In 1984 Hawkins approached Madden. The CEO and game producer Joe Ybarra
arranged a followup meeting with the broadcaster during an Amtrak
train trip over two days because of Madden's fear of flying
. The EA executives promised that the proposed game would be a sophisticated football simulation, and asked the retired Oakland Raiders coach for his name and expertise. Madden knew nothing about computers beyond his telestrator
but agreed; he had once taught a class at the University of California, Berkeley
called "Football for Fans", and initially envisioned the program as a tool for teaching and testing plays. Hawkins and Ybarra spent the train trip learning football plays and strategies from Madden "from dawn to midnight".
Early plans for the game envisioned six or seven players per team because of technical limitations but Madden insisted on having 11 players per team, stating "I'm not putting my name on it if it's not real." Ybarra, who had played chess
, not football, in high school, became an expert on the subject through his work, but found that 11 players overwhelmed contemporary home computers. The project took three years, more than twice the length of the average development process, and became known within the company as "Trip's Folly"; Madden believed at times that EA had given up. The company hired Bethesda Softworks
to finish the game, but the relationship ended when Bethesda sued for EA's failure to publish new versions of its Gridiron! football game as promised, adding to the delay.
EA already had a copy of Madden's 1980 Raiders
playbook, and hired San Francisco Chronicle
writer Frank Cooney, who had designed his own figurine football game with numerical skill ratings. Although the company could not yet legally use NFL teams' or players' names, Cooney obtained real plays from NFL teams. Madden turned down the opportunity to buy an "unlimited" number of options for EA stock in its initial public offering
, a decision he later called "the dumbest thing I ever did in my life."
Using Bethesda's physics engine, John Madden Football
debuted in 1988 for the Apple II series
of computers. While the game had a sophisticated playbook its interface was complex, and Madden's insistence on 11 players per team caused it to run slowly.
to develop Madden for the Sega Genesis videogame console. The company had already developed ABC Monday Night Football with "arcade-style, action-heavy" game play, and its Madden also emphasized hyperreality
compared to the computer version's focus on exact simulation.
EA reverse engineered the console in hopes of selling the game without paying the standard $8 to $10 license fee per cartridge, then proposed to Sega a compromise of $2 per cartridge and a $2 million cap on the fee. The console maker agreed, afraid that EA would sell its reverse-engineered knowledge to other companies; the agreement saved EA $35 million over the next three years. As its own Joe Montana-endorsed football game would miss the 1990 Christmas shopping season, Sega asked EA to let it sell Madden with the Montana name. EA refused, but offered a crippled alternative that lacked Maddens 3-D graphics and most of its 113 plays. Joe Montana Football
sold well despite shipping after Christmas 1990, and remained popular after BlueSky Software
took over development. John Madden Football
for the Genesis became the first "industry game-changer" for EA and Sega, however, helping the console to gain market share against the Super Nintendo
. From 1992 to 1994, Mega
placed the game at #1 in their monthly Top 100 Mega Drive Games of All Time.
In 1990, EA producer Richard Hilleman
brought in veteran sports game designer Scott Orr
, who had founded the mid-1980s Commodore 64
game publisher GameStar, and had led the design of their best-selling sports games. The team of Orr and Hilleman designed and led the development of what is today still recognizable as the modern Madden. Early versions of Madden were created by external development studios such as Bethesda
, Visual Concepts
, and Stormfront Studios
. After Visual Concepts failed to deliver Madden NFL '96 for the new PlayStation in 1995, EA hired Tiburon Entertainment for Madden NFL '97 and later acquired the company, centralizing development in-house. EA's refusal to release Madden and other sports titles for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 contributed to the console's lack of success and Sega's exit from the hardware market.
, Electronic Arts added Franchise Mode to Madden, giving players the ability to play multiple seasons, make off-season draft picks, and trade players.
(in this version there are also mini-camp challenges) was only available for users of the PlayStation 2
console, Xbox
console, or a Microsoft Windows
PC until early 2004
. At E3 2004, Microsoft and EA Sports released a press statement announcing that games made from July 2004 on would now be Xbox Live
-enabled. In August 2004, EA Sports released Madden NFL 2005 and this game and all future versions of Madden became very popular games on Xbox Live.
, EA Sports created the new Playmaker tool, using the right analog joystick found on each of the adjustments previously unavailable in prior installments of the franchise. One such adjustment includes the ability to switch which direction a running play will go without changing the formation. Prior to the Playmaker tool, the Player could only call one of four available "hot routes." With Playmaker and the use of the right thumb stick the player is given 4 additional Hot Route options. When the quarterback has the ball the Playmaker Tool can be used to make receivers alter their routes mid-play. When running the ball on offense, the runner can control the direction in which the blocker is going. Defensive alignment adjustments, however, were not available leading to obvious unbalance in favor of the Offensive player.
, EA Sports ran a campaign with the Theme "Fear the D" emphasising their improvements on the "other side of the ball." In an attempt to re-balance the players experience, EA gave a Playmaker Tool to the defense. Similar to the offensive Playmaker Tool, the defensive Playmaker allows the player to make pre-snap defensive adjustments. EA Sports further utilized the right analog joystick on defense by creating the "Hit Stick", an option on defense that allows the controlled player to make big hits, with a simple flick, that increases the chances the ball carrier will fumble. Also introduced for the first time is the "Formation Shift." This new feature allowed players to shift their formation in the pre-snap audible menu without actually changing the play. For example if you call a run play up the middle out of a goal line formation, you could then call a formation shift and make your players spread out into a four wide receiver formation while still in the same running play. The problem with this new function was that EA also added a fatigue penalty for the defense causing defensive players to get more tired each time there was a formation shift. This led to players on offense calling multiple formation shifts each play making the defensive players too exhausted to keep up and force them to substitute out of the game until they are fully rested. This led to more unbalance that could only be fixed by turning off fatigue and leads to an unrealistic football game.
2005 also added "EA Sports Radio", a fictional show that plays during the menu screen of Franchise mode to provide a greater sense of a storyline during gameplay. It features Tony Bruno
as the host, who often interviews players and coaches about how the season is going and also has quiz questions in which fake listeners call in to make attempts at answering football-related questions. It included mock interviews of famous NFL players and coaches throughout the in-game season. Some fans have criticized EA Sports
for not including new features to the 'programming' as the radio became stale after only two seasons in franchise mode, but the feature drew acclaim for adding content to the Franchise menu. Also added was the Newspaper where the player could look at National News from licensed USA Today and Licensed Local papers for almost each of the 32 NFL teams. Lastly, 2005 also saw the introduction of multiple progressions during franchise mode. Previously NFL players in Madden would only progress or regress at the end of each season. Now at the end of Week 5, 11, and 17 the game would use a program to "progress" your players based on their performance in addition to end of season progression.
, the "Truck Stick" was introduced. This feature allows the offensive player to lower his shoulder and break a tackle, or back juke to avoid one. Another new feature is the Superstar Mode
, which allows the player to take control of a rookie, and progress through his career. This includes an IQ test, interviews, workouts, the NFL Draft, hiring an agent, and other aspects of a superstar's life.
EA also introduced the QB Vision feature in the 2006 installment. With this feature, a cone of spotlight emits from the quarterback during passing plays, simulating his field of vision. To make an accurate pass, the quarterback must have his intended receiver in his field of vision. Passing to a receiver not in the cone reduces pass accuracy significantly. The size of the quarterback's vision cone is directly correlated to his Awareness and Passer Accuracy rating; Brett Favre
and Peyton Manning
see nearly the entire field at once, whereas an inexperienced quarterback such as J.P. Losman
or Kyle Boller
sees only a sliver of the field. This feature also allows for bigger plays and more interceptions.
Also, EA sports added the Smart Route. This means that when pressing a hot route to the corresponding receiver, you put the analog stick down and the receiver will run to the first down, and you can throw him the ball.
, EA introduced Lead Blocker Controls which allow users to control blockers during running plays. In addition, EA redefined the Truck Stick into the Highlight Stick. With the Highlight Stick, users can have their running backs perform different running moves and combos, instead of just bowling over defenders. Truck Stick features still exist for bigger backs, but not for smaller backs who would never realistically use them anyway. Instead, more agile backs perform acrobatic ducks and dodges to avoid tackles.
EA Sports also introduced "Smart Routes" on offense. Previously receivers only ran the routes they were assigned and the only change that could be made is to change the entire route. Now the player is able to tell receivers to adjust their route to go past the first down marker. For example if it is 3rd an 11 and you have a 10 yard curl route, you will be short of the first. With a Smart Route you can now tell that receiver to run his route a little deeper and past that first down marker. Similarly if it is 3rd and 3 and you have a 10 yard route you can tell that receiver to shorten that route so you can make a quick pass play.
, the Weapons feature was added, allowing superstar players to be noticed. Randy Moss
, for example, is a Go-To-Guy, allowing him to make amazing one-handed grabs. Peyton Manning
is a Franchise QB. It also includes new skill drills, Hit Stick 2.0, and Ring of a Champion features.
was released on August 12, 2008. Citing business concerns, EA chose not to release it on the PC platform. The game features quarterback Brett Favre
on the front cover wearing a uniform for his former team, the Green Bay Packers. EA Sports announced on August 7, 2008 that they would be offering a free download alternative cover featuring Favre in a New York Jets
jersey, which was the team Favre played for during the 2008 season. The downloadable plug-in will also include the newly revised Jets 2008–2009 Squad with Favre at the helm. Madden NFL 09
was the first of the series to offer online, league game play, allowing up to 32 players to compete in an online, simulated NFL season. According to EA Sports Senior Producer Phil Frazier, up to 32 players will be able to participate in competitive games, the NFL Draft and conduct trades between their teams. The game was also be the first of the series to incorporate a Madden IQ. The Madden IQ is used to automatically gauge your skills through a series of mini-games consisting of run offense, pass offense, run defense, and pass defense. At the end of each of the drills, the player receives a score ranging from rookie to all-Madden. The final Madden IQ is a mixture of those scores which is used to control the game's difficulty. As a player’s skill increases or decreases the game automatically adjusts its difficulty ratings to coincide with their Madden IQ. Madden NFL 09 also removed the "passing cone" feature due to unpopularity with game players.
was released on August 14, 2009, though a version for the PC was again not created. Compared to previous iterations, Madden NFL 10 has been extremely transparent with its development efforts, maintaining a weekly blog updates as well as a constant presence on various message boards. A new design team has also taken over the game, including members from NFL Head Coach 09. The direction of Madden NFL 10 has been shifted to much more of a realistic and simulation focus, with info already released including Procedural Awareness (a robust head tracking system), a new philosophy on player ratings, and big improvements to realism in QB play, WR/DB play, and other areas across the game. Also added for in-game color commentary is broadcaster/analyst Cris Collinsworth
. In addition to this, he also frequently criticizes mistakes in a segment known as Backtrack. There are also cut scenes on close first down situations where the officials bring the chains to measure the exact spot of the ball. Madden 10 has several new features including the PRO-TAK animation technology, which allows up to nine man gang tackles and fumble pile-ups to help players 'fight for every yard', in this year's tagline. Madden 10 also features an in-game weekly recap show with NFL Network hosts Fran Charles
and Alex Flanagan
called The Extra Point. Madden 10 offers a series of multiple play packages. This allows for more options to score. Madden 10 also offers over 200 plays to choose from. Troy Polamalu
and Larry Fitzgerald
appear on the cover of Madden 2010, the first time two athletes appeared on the cover in the history of the series. This version features a completely overhauled rating system for players, featuring new categories such as throw on the run and specific ratings for short, medium, and deep passes. The new rating system has also dropped many players rankings down, creating resentment from these very players. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens
organization announced via an ESPN
interview that he is boycotting the game until his rating on the game is 'correct'. The Wii version has been criticized for the cartoon-like graphics, as opposed to the more realistic graphics of the other platform releases. The game's soundtrack features established rap, alternative rock, rap metal and hard rock bands such as Nirvana
, Pantera
, Black Sabbath
, System of a Down
, Alice in Chains
, and Kid Rock
.
was released on July 27, 2010, (moved up from its original release date of August 10, 2010 for promotional reasons) and features Drew Brees
on the cover. It features several new additions to the franchise, such as Online Team Play, Online Scouting and online attribute boosts for co-op play. Along with these new game additions is a new rating (sponsored by Old Spice) known as Swagger. Although early speculation was that this new rating would be reflective of "confidence" or "composure," it was quickly confirmed to be directly tied to a player's personality for celebrations.
was released on August 30, 2011. The release was delayed by two weeks due to the NFL lockout, and features Cleveland Browns
running back
Peyton Hillis
on the cover. Several new features have been added to meet demands of the people that play the game such as expanded rosters and future draft picks in Franchise mode.
or National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Madden NFL '94
was the first game in the series to include real NFL teams, and Madden NFL '95
added an NFLPA license for real players. The NFL Coaches Association sold the rights to have NFL coaches' names appear in the Madden NFL games; Madden NFL 2001
was the first game in the series to feature this license. Neither New England Patriots
coach Bill Belichick
nor Bill Parcells
appeared in the game as they are not members of the NFL Coaches Association.
On December 13, 2004, EA Sports announced it had secured exclusive rights to the NFL and its players' union for the subsequent five years, precluding any other third party from selling a football game using NFL players, teams, stadiums or other licenses. This was recently extended until 2012 and is considered a monopoly in the NFL video game business.
debuted NFL Head Coach
, which utilized the Madden engine to create a football management simulation. The game was criticized as buggy and unrealistic. EA Tiburon rebuilt the game from the ground up, addressing flaws and creating a proprietary engine, over the course of three years. NFL Head Coach 09
was released on August 12, 2008 bundled with the special edition of Madden NFL 09 and as a standalone game on September 2, 2008.
was released as the launch title for the Nintendo 3DS
on March 27.
, have suggested, this gives EA less incentive to maintain quality and a greater opportunity to increase prices. In this climate, some football games, such as the Blitz: The League
series, have elected to continue, seeking to distinguish themselves through innovative gameplay, while others such as the NFL 2K series have ceased production. In 2007, 2K Sports released All Pro Football 2K8, which used former NFL stars.
on its cover. In 1999, Electronic Arts
selected Garrison Hearst
to appear on the PAL version's cover, and has since featured one of the league’s top players on every annual installment. While appearing on the cover has become an honor akin to appearing on the Wheaties box, much like the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx
certain players who appeared on Madden video game box art have experienced a decline in performance, usually due to an injury. In fact, since 2001, Larry Fitzgerald
is the only player not to suffer an extreme decline in performance immediately after appearing on the game's cover.
When asked about the "Madden Curse", Chris Erb, the EA Sports
director of marketing, commented, “I don't know that we believe in the curse. The players don't believe in the curse.” Greg Pearson, a writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
, commented that the string of injuries that Madden cover athletes experience can be attributed to the physical nature of football.
Furthermore, to earn the honor of being put on the game cover, a player is usually coming off of a career year. Some regression the following year is to be expected, whether that player is featured on the cover or not, because players generally don't produce two career years in a row. Starting with Madden NFL 12, the cover athlete was decided by a fan vote by EA and it is believed that many fans voted against their favorite player in hopes of avoiding the curse.
In December 2010, EA announced their plans on developing a movie based on the Curse, which will be a comedy, and not based on fate-based horror movies like Final Destination
.
during Super Bowl weekend in the host city and, in the past, participation included NFL players and celebrities. The Madden Bowl's participation has changed over the years from being an event held with athletes, musicians, and celebrities, to become an event where only NFL players who are invited to participate get a chance to play. Participants in the Madden Bowl are free to choose whichever team they like. Winners receive a Madden Bowl trophy and recognition in the upcoming Madden video game.
The 2006 Madden Bowl, held during the weekend of Super Bowl XL
in Detroit, Michigan
, was televised on ESPN
and premiered in April 2006. It is not to be confused with Madden Nation
, which was a reality television
show that chronicled a cross-country trip to crown the best Madden player in America, which also aired on ESPN.
As of 2011, the Madden Bowl competition utilizes the new Online Team Play feature included in Madden NFL 11
. Rather than competing as individuals, players form groups of three to square-off for the trophy.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon
EA Tiburon
EA Tiburon is an Electronic Arts video game development studio located in Maitland, Florida, United States founded in 1994. It is located just north of the Orlando, Florida downtown area. It was formerly known as Tiburon Entertainment, which was acquired by EA in 1998.The studio is most well known...
for EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r John Madden
John Madden
John Madden may refer to:*Jack Madden, basketball referee*John Madden , American former football coach and television announcer*John Madden , ice hockey player...
, a well-known former Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
-winning coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. The games have consistently been a best seller, and has even spawned TV shows where players compete. Among the game's realistic features include sophisticated playbooks and player statistics, and voice commentary that allows players to hear the game as if it was a real TV broadcast.
The series was originally conceived by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
founder Trip Hawkins
Trip Hawkins
William M. 'Trip' Hawkins III is a Silicon Valley American entrepreneur and founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company and Digital Chocolate....
, who then approached Madden in 1984 for his endorsement and expertise. Due to Madden's insistence that the game be as realistic as possible, the first version of John Madden Football was not released until 1988. The second version of the game was released in 1990, and annual versions since then. The series' name was changed to Madden NFL in 1993 after EA acquired the rights to use NFL teams and players.
Despite Madden's retirement as a broadcaster in 2009, he still continues to lend his name, as well as provide creative input, for the game.
Overview
| Madden recalled a time in San Francisco when a Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... player rushed into a hotel room asking, "Where's Madden?" Someone pointed out the commentator. "No, not that Madden. I want the game!" Madden recounted. |
Electronic Arts has sold more than 85 million copies of Madden NFL since 1988, and as many as two million in one week, for more than $3 billion in total sales. A team of 30 developers and more than 100 game testers works on each new Madden NFL at EA Tiburon in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Madden continues to participate in each Madden
The game series is popular among both football fans and players; the latter often complain to Madden and EA about allegedly inaccurate ratings of their abilities, or ask for changes in their in-game appearance. Such complaints began as early as 1990, confusing the broadcaster, who did not contribute the player statistics for that year's version due to lack of time.
Voice commentary
Voice commentary in Madden allows players or watchers to hear the game being called as if it were a real game on TVTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. For most versions of the game, this commentary was performed by Madden himself and his contemporary broadcast partner. Initially, this was Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
(Madden's partner during his days at CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
and Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
during the early 1980s on through the early 2000s) until Summerall retired; the role was then filled by Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
, John's broadcast partner on ABC Monday Night Football (2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
– 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
) and NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
(2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
– 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
). Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. This game is known for its realistic graphics and big hits...
would end up being the last version to feature Madden's commentary. By that time, he felt that reciting a script covering every single scenario in the game was boring and tedious, but said that in the decision to remove him from game commentary, "I feel that something is being taken away from me". Madden was replaced by Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
as color commentator, who was then paired with Tom Hammond
Tom Hammond
Tom Hammond is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports television. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hicks...
in Madden NFL 10
Madden NFL 10
For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden 64Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise...
, and Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson (sportscaster)
Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
in Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
.
1980s: Creation
Trip Hawkins created a clone of the Strat-o-MaticStrat-o-Matic
Strat-O-Matic is a game company based in Glen Head, New York, that develops and publishes sports simulation games. It produces tabletop baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey simulations, as well as personal computer adaptations of each, but it is primarily known for its baseball...
paper and dice-based football simulation game as a teenager. The game was unsuccessful due to its complexity, and Hawkins hoped to one day delegate its rules to a computer. He wrote a football simulation for the PDP-11
PDP-11
The PDP-11 was a series of 16-bit minicomputers sold by Digital Equipment Corporation from 1970 into the 1990s, one of a succession of products in the PDP series. The PDP-11 replaced the PDP-8 in many real-time applications, although both product lines lived in parallel for more than 10 years...
minicomputer at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, and after founding Electronic Arts in 1982 the company began designing a football game for the era's microcomputers. Hawkins first approached Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
to endorse the proposed game but the quarterback already had an endorsement deal with Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, and his second choice, Cal
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
coach Joe Kapp
Joe Kapp
Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
, demanded royalties.
In 1984 Hawkins approached Madden. The CEO and game producer Joe Ybarra
Joe Ybarra
Joe Ybarra is one of the original game producers at Electronic Arts in 1982 , where the concept of a game producer was created by Trip Hawkins...
arranged a followup meeting with the broadcaster during an Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
train trip over two days because of Madden's fear of flying
Fear of flying
A fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane , or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia....
. The EA executives promised that the proposed game would be a sophisticated football simulation, and asked the retired Oakland Raiders coach for his name and expertise. Madden knew nothing about computers beyond his telestrator
Telestrator
A telestrator is a device that allows its operator to draw a freehand sketch over a moving or still video image. The telestrator is most famously recognized in sports and weather broadcasts to diagram and analyze sports plays or incoming weather patterns. The talent typically draws on a...
but agreed; he had once taught a class at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
called "Football for Fans", and initially envisioned the program as a tool for teaching and testing plays. Hawkins and Ybarra spent the train trip learning football plays and strategies from Madden "from dawn to midnight".
Early plans for the game envisioned six or seven players per team because of technical limitations but Madden insisted on having 11 players per team, stating "I'm not putting my name on it if it's not real." Ybarra, who had played chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, not football, in high school, became an expert on the subject through his work, but found that 11 players overwhelmed contemporary home computers. The project took three years, more than twice the length of the average development process, and became known within the company as "Trip's Folly"; Madden believed at times that EA had given up. The company hired Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
to finish the game, but the relationship ended when Bethesda sued for EA's failure to publish new versions of its Gridiron! football game as promised, adding to the delay.
EA already had a copy of Madden's 1980 Raiders
1980 Oakland Raiders season
-Staff:HC: Tom FloresAst: Ray Willsey , Lew Erber , Sam Boghosian , Earl Leggett , Charlie Sumner , Chet Franklin , Steve Ortmayer , Bob Mischak , Joe Madro , Willie Brown -Regular season:...
playbook, and hired San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
writer Frank Cooney, who had designed his own figurine football game with numerical skill ratings. Although the company could not yet legally use NFL teams' or players' names, Cooney obtained real plays from NFL teams. Madden turned down the opportunity to buy an "unlimited" number of options for EA stock in its initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
, a decision he later called "the dumbest thing I ever did in my life."
Using Bethesda's physics engine, John Madden Football
John Madden Football (1988)
John Madden Football is a football video game following the success of Earl Weaver Baseball.-Summary:This video game is the first of the Madden football games developed and released by Electronic Arts. It features John Madden on the cover...
debuted in 1988 for the Apple II series
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
of computers. While the game had a sophisticated playbook its interface was complex, and Madden's insistence on 11 players per team caused it to run slowly.
1990s
In early 1990 EA hired Park Place ProductionsPark Place Productions
Park Place Productions was a corporation founded in 1989 by Michael Knox, Troy Lyndon and Stephen Quinn.-Summary:In 1990, contracted by Electronic Arts, the company produced John Madden Football for the Genesis video game console, described as "the most successful sports game of all time." Other...
to develop Madden for the Sega Genesis videogame console. The company had already developed ABC Monday Night Football with "arcade-style, action-heavy" game play, and its Madden also emphasized hyperreality
Hyperreality
Hyperreality is used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced postmodern societies...
compared to the computer version's focus on exact simulation.
EA reverse engineered the console in hopes of selling the game without paying the standard $8 to $10 license fee per cartridge, then proposed to Sega a compromise of $2 per cartridge and a $2 million cap on the fee. The console maker agreed, afraid that EA would sell its reverse-engineered knowledge to other companies; the agreement saved EA $35 million over the next three years. As its own Joe Montana-endorsed football game would miss the 1990 Christmas shopping season, Sega asked EA to let it sell Madden with the Montana name. EA refused, but offered a crippled alternative that lacked Maddens 3-D graphics and most of its 113 plays. Joe Montana Football
Joe Montana Football
Joe Montana Football is an American football video game featuring Joe Montana, released in 1991. Since Sega did not secure the rights from the NFL, teams are generically named for US cities and the only non-fictional player in the game is Montana himself....
sold well despite shipping after Christmas 1990, and remained popular after BlueSky Software
BlueSky Software
BlueSky Software was an American software company situated in California formed in 1988 and had a successful run for 12 years before closing down in March 2001, when parent company Interplay was in financial trouble.- Atari 7800 :* Basketbrawl...
took over development. John Madden Football
John Madden Football (1990)
John Madden Football is a football video game, the second Madden football game released by Electronic Arts.-Summary:...
for the Genesis became the first "industry game-changer" for EA and Sega, however, helping the console to gain market share against the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. From 1992 to 1994, Mega
Mega (magazine)
MEGA, subtitled '100% pure Mega Drive' was a monthly magazine, published in the United Kingdom, aimed at users of the Sega Mega Drive and its additions, the Mega CD and 32X. During its time, as one of the main Mega Drive publications, Mega covered the golden age of the Sega Mega Drive; from 1992 to...
placed the game at #1 in their monthly Top 100 Mega Drive Games of All Time.
In 1990, EA producer Richard Hilleman
Richard Hilleman
Richard Hilleman is an American computer game and video game producer best known for his work creating the original Madden Football game for video game consoles for Electronic Arts. Apart from Madden, Hilleman was a key figure in building the massive EA Sports brand and has spent over 20 years...
brought in veteran sports game designer Scott Orr
Scott Orr
Scott Orr is an American computer game and video game designer best known as the original lead designer on the first video game console versions of the North American best-selling game, Madden NFL Football...
, who had founded the mid-1980s Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
game publisher GameStar, and had led the design of their best-selling sports games. The team of Orr and Hilleman designed and led the development of what is today still recognizable as the modern Madden. Early versions of Madden were created by external development studios such as Bethesda
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
, Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts is a California-based video game developer best known for developing Sega Sports' 2K series of sports games. After the success of the series, they were picked up by Sega and became a wholly owned studio with Sega, usually termed a first-party developer...
, and Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
. After Visual Concepts failed to deliver Madden NFL '96 for the new PlayStation in 1995, EA hired Tiburon Entertainment for Madden NFL '97 and later acquired the company, centralizing development in-house. EA's refusal to release Madden and other sports titles for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 contributed to the console's lack of success and Sega's exit from the hardware market.
Franchise Mode
In 1998, inspired by the franchise-management game Baseball MogulBaseball Mogul
Baseball Mogul is a series of career baseball management computer games created by game designer Clay Dreslough. The product was first published in 1997. The thirteenth and latest installment, Baseball Mogul 2012, was released March 18, 2011. A proprietary database, included with the game, permits...
, Electronic Arts added Franchise Mode to Madden, giving players the ability to play multiple seasons, make off-season draft picks, and trade players.
Madden NFL 2003
There are multiple modes of game play, from a quick head-to-head game to running a team for a whole season or even multiple seasons. Online play, which was a new feature for Madden NFL 2003Madden NFL 2003
Madden NFL 2003 is an American football video game. It features then-reigning 3 time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to feature EA Trax...
(in this version there are also mini-camp challenges) was only available for users of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
console, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
console, or a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC until early 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
. At E3 2004, Microsoft and EA Sports released a press statement announcing that games made from July 2004 on would now be Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
-enabled. In August 2004, EA Sports released Madden NFL 2005 and this game and all future versions of Madden became very popular games on Xbox Live.
Madden NFL 2004
Also, starting with Madden NFL 2004Madden NFL 2004
Madden NFL 2004 is the 14th installment of the Madden NFL series of American football video games. Michael Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is on the cover. New features in Madden 2004 include a new owner mode option that allows the player to control a franchise...
, EA Sports created the new Playmaker tool, using the right analog joystick found on each of the adjustments previously unavailable in prior installments of the franchise. One such adjustment includes the ability to switch which direction a running play will go without changing the formation. Prior to the Playmaker tool, the Player could only call one of four available "hot routes." With Playmaker and the use of the right thumb stick the player is given 4 additional Hot Route options. When the quarterback has the ball the Playmaker Tool can be used to make receivers alter their routes mid-play. When running the ball on offense, the runner can control the direction in which the blocker is going. Defensive alignment adjustments, however, were not available leading to obvious unbalance in favor of the Offensive player.
Madden NFL 2005
In Madden NFL 2005Madden NFL 2005
Madden NFL 2005 is an American football video game that was released on August 9, 2004. It features Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis on the cover...
, EA Sports ran a campaign with the Theme "Fear the D" emphasising their improvements on the "other side of the ball." In an attempt to re-balance the players experience, EA gave a Playmaker Tool to the defense. Similar to the offensive Playmaker Tool, the defensive Playmaker allows the player to make pre-snap defensive adjustments. EA Sports further utilized the right analog joystick on defense by creating the "Hit Stick", an option on defense that allows the controlled player to make big hits, with a simple flick, that increases the chances the ball carrier will fumble. Also introduced for the first time is the "Formation Shift." This new feature allowed players to shift their formation in the pre-snap audible menu without actually changing the play. For example if you call a run play up the middle out of a goal line formation, you could then call a formation shift and make your players spread out into a four wide receiver formation while still in the same running play. The problem with this new function was that EA also added a fatigue penalty for the defense causing defensive players to get more tired each time there was a formation shift. This led to players on offense calling multiple formation shifts each play making the defensive players too exhausted to keep up and force them to substitute out of the game until they are fully rested. This led to more unbalance that could only be fixed by turning off fatigue and leads to an unrealistic football game.
2005 also added "EA Sports Radio", a fictional show that plays during the menu screen of Franchise mode to provide a greater sense of a storyline during gameplay. It features Tony Bruno
Tony Bruno
For Tony Bruno, the musician, see Tony Bruno Tony Bruno is an American sports talk radio personality in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
as the host, who often interviews players and coaches about how the season is going and also has quiz questions in which fake listeners call in to make attempts at answering football-related questions. It included mock interviews of famous NFL players and coaches throughout the in-game season. Some fans have criticized EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
for not including new features to the 'programming' as the radio became stale after only two seasons in franchise mode, but the feature drew acclaim for adding content to the Franchise menu. Also added was the Newspaper where the player could look at National News from licensed USA Today and Licensed Local papers for almost each of the 32 NFL teams. Lastly, 2005 also saw the introduction of multiple progressions during franchise mode. Previously NFL players in Madden would only progress or regress at the end of each season. Now at the end of Week 5, 11, and 17 the game would use a program to "progress" your players based on their performance in addition to end of season progression.
Madden NFL 06
In Madden NFL 06Madden NFL 06
Madden NFL 06 is an American football video game which was released on August 8, 2005. It is also a launch game for the Xbox 360. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for noted color commentator John Madden. The product features former Philadelphia Eagles...
, the "Truck Stick" was introduced. This feature allows the offensive player to lower his shoulder and break a tackle, or back juke to avoid one. Another new feature is the Superstar Mode
Be-a-pro mode
The usage of be-a-pro mode is a repackaging of the player-lock feature with a primitive evaluation system added to rate the player's performance...
, which allows the player to take control of a rookie, and progress through his career. This includes an IQ test, interviews, workouts, the NFL Draft, hiring an agent, and other aspects of a superstar's life.
EA also introduced the QB Vision feature in the 2006 installment. With this feature, a cone of spotlight emits from the quarterback during passing plays, simulating his field of vision. To make an accurate pass, the quarterback must have his intended receiver in his field of vision. Passing to a receiver not in the cone reduces pass accuracy significantly. The size of the quarterback's vision cone is directly correlated to his Awareness and Passer Accuracy rating; Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
and Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
see nearly the entire field at once, whereas an inexperienced quarterback such as J.P. Losman
J.P. Losman
Jonathan Paul "J. P." Losman is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 22nd overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
or Kyle Boller
Kyle Boller
Kyle Bryan Boller is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of California.Boller has also played for the St...
sees only a sliver of the field. This feature also allows for bigger plays and more interceptions.
Also, EA sports added the Smart Route. This means that when pressing a hot route to the corresponding receiver, you put the analog stick down and the receiver will run to the first down, and you can throw him the ball.
Madden NFL 07
In Madden NFL 07Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series. It is the first in the video game series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.-Features:...
, EA introduced Lead Blocker Controls which allow users to control blockers during running plays. In addition, EA redefined the Truck Stick into the Highlight Stick. With the Highlight Stick, users can have their running backs perform different running moves and combos, instead of just bowling over defenders. Truck Stick features still exist for bigger backs, but not for smaller backs who would never realistically use them anyway. Instead, more agile backs perform acrobatic ducks and dodges to avoid tackles.
EA Sports also introduced "Smart Routes" on offense. Previously receivers only ran the routes they were assigned and the only change that could be made is to change the entire route. Now the player is able to tell receivers to adjust their route to go past the first down marker. For example if it is 3rd an 11 and you have a 10 yard curl route, you will be short of the first. With a Smart Route you can now tell that receiver to run his route a little deeper and past that first down marker. Similarly if it is 3rd and 3 and you have a 10 yard route you can tell that receiver to shorten that route so you can make a quick pass play.
Madden NFL 08
In Madden NFL 08Madden NFL 08
Madden NFL 08 is the 2008 edition of the American football video game series published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It features Titans star quarterback Vince Young on the cover. San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis...
, the Weapons feature was added, allowing superstar players to be noticed. Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, for example, is a Go-To-Guy, allowing him to make amazing one-handed grabs. Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
is a Franchise QB. It also includes new skill drills, Hit Stick 2.0, and Ring of a Champion features.
Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. This game is known for its realistic graphics and big hits...
was released on August 12, 2008. Citing business concerns, EA chose not to release it on the PC platform. The game features quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
on the front cover wearing a uniform for his former team, the Green Bay Packers. EA Sports announced on August 7, 2008 that they would be offering a free download alternative cover featuring Favre in a New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
jersey, which was the team Favre played for during the 2008 season. The downloadable plug-in will also include the newly revised Jets 2008–2009 Squad with Favre at the helm. Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. This game is known for its realistic graphics and big hits...
was the first of the series to offer online, league game play, allowing up to 32 players to compete in an online, simulated NFL season. According to EA Sports Senior Producer Phil Frazier, up to 32 players will be able to participate in competitive games, the NFL Draft and conduct trades between their teams. The game was also be the first of the series to incorporate a Madden IQ. The Madden IQ is used to automatically gauge your skills through a series of mini-games consisting of run offense, pass offense, run defense, and pass defense. At the end of each of the drills, the player receives a score ranging from rookie to all-Madden. The final Madden IQ is a mixture of those scores which is used to control the game's difficulty. As a player’s skill increases or decreases the game automatically adjusts its difficulty ratings to coincide with their Madden IQ. Madden NFL 09 also removed the "passing cone" feature due to unpopularity with game players.
Madden NFL 10
Madden NFL 10Madden NFL 10
For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden 64Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise...
was released on August 14, 2009, though a version for the PC was again not created. Compared to previous iterations, Madden NFL 10 has been extremely transparent with its development efforts, maintaining a weekly blog updates as well as a constant presence on various message boards. A new design team has also taken over the game, including members from NFL Head Coach 09. The direction of Madden NFL 10 has been shifted to much more of a realistic and simulation focus, with info already released including Procedural Awareness (a robust head tracking system), a new philosophy on player ratings, and big improvements to realism in QB play, WR/DB play, and other areas across the game. Also added for in-game color commentary is broadcaster/analyst Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
. In addition to this, he also frequently criticizes mistakes in a segment known as Backtrack. There are also cut scenes on close first down situations where the officials bring the chains to measure the exact spot of the ball. Madden 10 has several new features including the PRO-TAK animation technology, which allows up to nine man gang tackles and fumble pile-ups to help players 'fight for every yard', in this year's tagline. Madden 10 also features an in-game weekly recap show with NFL Network hosts Fran Charles
Fran Charles
Fran Charles is an American television presenter at the NFL Network.- Career :Charles received his Master's degree from the Columbia School of Journalism after completing his Bachelor's degree in Communication at Stanford University....
and Alex Flanagan
Alex Flanagan
Alex Flanagan is an American sportscaster who is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona...
called The Extra Point. Madden 10 offers a series of multiple play packages. This allows for more options to score. Madden 10 also offers over 200 plays to choose from. Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
and Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
appear on the cover of Madden 2010, the first time two athletes appeared on the cover in the history of the series. This version features a completely overhauled rating system for players, featuring new categories such as throw on the run and specific ratings for short, medium, and deep passes. The new rating system has also dropped many players rankings down, creating resentment from these very players. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
organization announced via an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
interview that he is boycotting the game until his rating on the game is 'correct'. The Wii version has been criticized for the cartoon-like graphics, as opposed to the more realistic graphics of the other platform releases. The game's soundtrack features established rap, alternative rock, rap metal and hard rock bands such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, and Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
.
Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
was released on July 27, 2010, (moved up from its original release date of August 10, 2010 for promotional reasons) and features Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
on the cover. It features several new additions to the franchise, such as Online Team Play, Online Scouting and online attribute boosts for co-op play. Along with these new game additions is a new rating (sponsored by Old Spice) known as Swagger. Although early speculation was that this new rating would be reflective of "confidence" or "composure," it was quickly confirmed to be directly tied to a player's personality for celebrations.
Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 12Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and September 2, 2011 in Europe...
was released on August 30, 2011. The release was delayed by two weeks due to the NFL lockout, and features Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Peyton Hillis
Peyton Hillis
Hillis was selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.-2008 Season:At the start of the 2008 season, Hillis was listed as the Broncos' starting fullback...
on the cover. Several new features have been added to meet demands of the people that play the game such as expanded rosters and future draft picks in Franchise mode.
Licensing
Until 1993, the Madden series did not have official licenses from the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
or National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Madden NFL '94
Madden NFL '94
Madden NFL '94 is a football video game released in 1993. It was the first game in the Madden series with an official NFL team license, as well as the first Madden game that allowed players to play a full regular season ....
was the first game in the series to include real NFL teams, and Madden NFL '95
Madden NFL '95
Madden NFL '95 is a football video game. It features John Madden on the cover.-Features:Madden NFL '95 was the first Madden game to have both the NFL team logo and NFLPA licenses. This version of Madden NFL was also the first Madden to showcase no passing windows. Previously included "Past...
added an NFLPA license for real players. The NFL Coaches Association sold the rights to have NFL coaches' names appear in the Madden NFL games; Madden NFL 2001
Madden NFL 2001
Madden NFL 2001 is an American football video game. It is the third in the Madden NFL series to include an NFL player, Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George, on its cover . It is also the first game in the Madden NFL series to appear on the PlayStation 2 game console...
was the first game in the series to feature this license. Neither New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
nor Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
appeared in the game as they are not members of the NFL Coaches Association.
On December 13, 2004, EA Sports announced it had secured exclusive rights to the NFL and its players' union for the subsequent five years, precluding any other third party from selling a football game using NFL players, teams, stadiums or other licenses. This was recently extended until 2012 and is considered a monopoly in the NFL video game business.
Head Coach series
In August 2006, EA SportsEA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
debuted NFL Head Coach
NFL Head Coach
NFL Head Coach is a National Football League video game that was released on June 20, 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. The game allows the player to control an NFL team and become the greatest coach in NFL history...
, which utilized the Madden engine to create a football management simulation. The game was criticized as buggy and unrealistic. EA Tiburon rebuilt the game from the ground up, addressing flaws and creating a proprietary engine, over the course of three years. NFL Head Coach 09
NFL Head Coach 09
NFL Head Coach 09 is the follow-up to NFL Head Coach for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was released on August 12, 2008. The game is available in the 20th Anniversary Special Edition of Madden NFL 09, and was released as a standalone game on September 2, 2008...
was released on August 12, 2008 bundled with the special edition of Madden NFL 09 and as a standalone game on September 2, 2008.
Madden Arcade
Released on November 24, 2009, the game is 5-on-5 and takes the best 10 players from each of the 32 NFL teams.Madden NFL Football
Madden NFL FootballMadden NFL Football
Madden NFL Football is a sports video game for the Nintendo 3DS which is being developed by EA Sports. First images of the game were shown by IGN in early December 2010.The game was released as a 3DS US launch title on March 27, 2011...
was released as the launch title for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
on March 27.
Exclusivity
In 2004, EA signed an exclusive license through 2009 with the NFL and the NFLPA to give them the exclusive rights to use the NFL's teams, stadiums, and players in a video game. The deal, reportedly worth $300 million and later extended to 2013, has been both criticized and praised. This exclusive license has put an end to competition from other official NFL video games and, some, like GamespotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, have suggested, this gives EA less incentive to maintain quality and a greater opportunity to increase prices. In this climate, some football games, such as the Blitz: The League
Blitz: The League
Blitz: The League is an American football game by Midway as an unlicensed extension of their NFL Blitz series. Released after the NFL signed an exclusive licensing deal with Electronic Arts, it was released in October 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Lawrence Taylor, who provides voice acting...
series, have elected to continue, seeking to distinguish themselves through innovative gameplay, while others such as the NFL 2K series have ceased production. In 2007, 2K Sports released All Pro Football 2K8, which used former NFL stars.
Madden Curse
Prior to 1999, every annual installment of the Madden NFL series primarily featured John MaddenJohn Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
on its cover. In 1999, Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
selected Garrison Hearst
Garrison Hearst
Gerard Garrison Hearst is a former National Football League running back who last played for the NFL's Denver Broncos in 2004. He had previously played for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers...
to appear on the PAL version's cover, and has since featured one of the league’s top players on every annual installment. While appearing on the cover has become an honor akin to appearing on the Wheaties box, much like the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx
Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx
The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is an urban legend that states that individuals or teams who appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine will subsequently be jinxed...
certain players who appeared on Madden video game box art have experienced a decline in performance, usually due to an injury. In fact, since 2001, Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
is the only player not to suffer an extreme decline in performance immediately after appearing on the game's cover.
- After Eddie GeorgeEddie GeorgeEdward Nathan "Eddie" George, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the Tennessee Titans both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers, and spent his final season with the Dallas Cowboys...
appeared on the 2001 cover, the Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
lost in the 2001 playoffs. George also never averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry for the rest of his career.
- Daunte CulpepperDaunte CulpepperDaunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
led the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
to the playoffs in 2000, but after appearing on the Madden 2002 cover, he threw 23 interceptions as the Vikings slumped to a 5–11 record. He also broke the record for most fumbles in a single season. While his career looked to be back on track in 2004 with a career season, he blew out both knees in 2005 and 2006 and never resembled the player he was at the start of the decade.
- Marshall FaulkMarshall FaulkMarshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
appeared on the 2003 cover, and his career (and the success of the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
) severely declined afterwards. He did not register another 1,000 yard rushing season and his yards per carry average dropped from a consistent 5.4 over the previous three years to 4.5 in 2002 and 4.0 in 2003 and 2004. He started 21 out of a possible 32 games from 2002–2003 as knee injuries got the better of him. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery in 2005 and retired that same year.
- After appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 2004Madden NFL 2004Madden NFL 2004 is the 14th installment of the Madden NFL series of American football video games. Michael Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is on the cover. New features in Madden 2004 include a new owner mode option that allows the player to control a franchise...
, Michael VickMichael VickMichael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
broke his fibula in a pre-season game against the Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, and the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
went 5-11. Just one year later it was discovered that he participated in an illegal dog-fighting ring and he was sent to prison (and thus not allowed to play football).
- Ray LewisRay LewisRay Lewis is a professional American football player.Ray Lewis may also refer to:* Ray Lewis , former English association football referee* Ray Lewis , Canadian track-and-field athlete...
, 2005 cover athlete and middle linebacker for the Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, had his season cut short in week 15 with a wrist injury. It was also Lewis' first season without an interception.
- In 2006, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback Donovan McNabbDonovan McNabbDonovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
tore his ACL and meniscus in his right knee while jumping out of bounds in a game versus the Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, ending his season. McNabb also suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season.
- Running backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Shaun AlexanderShaun AlexanderShaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
, then the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player, was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2007, and sustained a foot injury that caused him to miss six starts. As a result, Alexander’s rushing statistics were substantially less than those from the previous season, and he never returned to true form. Alexander himself has asked, “Do you want to be hurt and on the cover, or just hurt?"
- In 2007, GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and CNBCCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
reported that a large number of LaDainian TomlinsonLaDainian TomlinsonLaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
's fans, who believed in the Madden Curse, were strongly opposed to EA Sports' initial decision to feature him on the 2008 cover, so much that a fan created SaveLTfromMadden.com to voice their disdain. Tomlinson eventually declined the offer, but stated it was solely due to contract negotiations.
- Madden NFL 2008's cover featured Vince YoungVince YoungVincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
, the starting quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the Tennessee Titans. Young missed one game of the 2007 season due to a minor injury, but for the rest of the season was roughly even with his 2006 performance. When Young appeared on Jimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
to officially announce that he would appear on the cover of Madden NFL 2008, he derided allegations of becoming the curse’s next victim, and stated, “I've done prayed about it and we're gonna go home and try to get to the playoffs and try to get to the Super Bowl. We'll see what happens." Young injured his knee during the 2008 season, missing several weeks. Kerry Collins was named starter for the remainder of the season.
- Brett FavreBrett FavreBrett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
appeared on the cover of Madden NFL 2009 as a Green Bay PackerGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, under the impression that Favre was retired. However, shortly after the decision, Favre came back out of retirement and was traded to the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which prompted EA to release a new cover online. Though he did not miss any games, he led the league in interceptions throwing 22. He later admitted to suffering a torn biceps injury, which Favre says may have affected his gameplay during the final five games of his first and only season with the New York Jets, who missed the playoffs at 9–7 after starting the season 8–3. Favre threw 2 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in the last 5 games of the season.
- On September 10, 2009, Larry FitzgeraldLarry FitzgeraldLarry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
, wide receiver for the Arizona CardinalsArizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and safety Troy PolamaluTroy PolamaluTroy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
of the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, were both featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10Madden NFL 10For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden 64Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise...
. Polamalu sprained his MCLMedial collateral ligamentThe medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
in the first half of the season opener and missed the next four games. After returning, Polamalu played in three more games before injuring his posterior cruciate ligamentPosterior cruciate ligamentThe posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...
on November 14, 2009 against Cincinnati, and missed more games as a result. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, started all 16 regular season and both playoff games for the Cardinals. He did not attend the Pro Bowl due to a rib injury, leaving Steve Smith of the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, to take his spot in the 2010 Pro Bowl2010 Pro BowlThe 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
. He recorded 97 receptions (third-most of his NFL career), 1,092 yards (fourth-most), and a career-high 13 touchdowns.
- Madden NFL 11Madden NFL 11Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
cover athlete Drew BreesDrew BreesDrew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
played in every game of the 2010 NFL Season. However, he threw twice as many interceptions (22) that season than in the Saints' 2009 Super Bowl-winning campaign (11). Also, his Quarterback Rating dropped nearly 20 points, and the Saints lost in the first round of the playoffs to the 7-9 Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, the only team to date to make the playoffs with a losing record in a full-length season. He made the 2011 Pro Bowl as a reserve, after being unable to participate in the 2010 Pro Bowl, as the Saints had made the Super Bowl. Brees played 6 weeks of the NFL Season with a torn MCL, a fact that was first outed by his teammate, Heath EvansHeath EvansBryan Heath Evans is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, later confirmed by another teammate, Jon StinchcombJon StinchcombJon Stinchcomb is a former American football offensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints...
and, eventually, Brees himself.
- Madden NFL 12Madden NFL 12Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and September 2, 2011 in Europe...
cover athlete Peyton HillisPeyton HillisHillis was selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.-2008 Season:At the start of the 2008 season, Hillis was listed as the Broncos' starting fullback...
has missed five games in the 2011 NFL season2011 NFL seasonThe 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
with a hamstring injury, missed one game with strep throat, and has had his numbers decline continuously after the second week. Hillis suffered a re-injury to his hamstring during practice before week nine and his outlook to finish this season with numbers equivalent to his previous year's performance is looking bleak. In addition, his divisive behavior in the Browns locker room during the season, particularly with regards to his contentious contract negotiations, has been the subject of much media attention. It has been rumored that Hillis will leave the Browns at the end of the 2011-2012 season as a free agent.
When asked about the "Madden Curse", Chris Erb, the EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
director of marketing, commented, “I don't know that we believe in the curse. The players don't believe in the curse.” Greg Pearson, a writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
, commented that the string of injuries that Madden cover athletes experience can be attributed to the physical nature of football.
Furthermore, to earn the honor of being put on the game cover, a player is usually coming off of a career year. Some regression the following year is to be expected, whether that player is featured on the cover or not, because players generally don't produce two career years in a row. Starting with Madden NFL 12, the cover athlete was decided by a fan vote by EA and it is believed that many fans voted against their favorite player in hopes of avoiding the curse.
In December 2010, EA announced their plans on developing a movie based on the Curse, which will be a comedy, and not based on fate-based horror movies like Final Destination
Final Destination
Final Destination is a 2000 supernatural slasher film written and directed by James Wong. The film was co-written by Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick, both of them having previously worked with Wong in the TV series The X-Files. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and Tony Todd...
.
The Madden Bowl
The Madden Bowl is a single elimination tournament held on the most current edition of Madden NFL. It has been held since 1995Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
during Super Bowl weekend in the host city and, in the past, participation included NFL players and celebrities. The Madden Bowl's participation has changed over the years from being an event held with athletes, musicians, and celebrities, to become an event where only NFL players who are invited to participate get a chance to play. Participants in the Madden Bowl are free to choose whichever team they like. Winners receive a Madden Bowl trophy and recognition in the upcoming Madden video game.
The 2006 Madden Bowl, held during the weekend of Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, was televised on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and premiered in April 2006. It is not to be confused with Madden Nation
Madden Nation
Madden Nation is an American reality television show, created as a joint effort between EA SPORTS and ESPN Original Entertainment to take viewers inside the world of Madden NFL, a popular video game with over 10 million players worldwide. The series premiered on December 6, 2005 and is currently...
, which was a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show that chronicled a cross-country trip to crown the best Madden player in America, which also aired on ESPN.
As of 2011, the Madden Bowl competition utilizes the new Online Team Play feature included in Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
. Rather than competing as individuals, players form groups of three to square-off for the trophy.
Madden Bowl winners
- 1995 – Reggie BrooksReggie BrooksReginald Arthur Brooks is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-College:...
- 1996 – Reggie BrooksReggie BrooksReginald Arthur Brooks is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-College:...
- 1997 – Jimmy Spencer
- 1998 – Morris ChestnutMorris ChestnutMorris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
- 1999 – Ray MickensRay MickensRay Mickens is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Mickens and his wife, Nicole, have a daughter, Kamray, and two sons, Ray Jr and Trayvon...
- 2000 – Terry Jackson
- 2001 – Jacquez GreenJacquez GreenD'Tanyian Jacquez Green is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League for five seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
- 2002 – Jacquez GreenJacquez GreenD'Tanyian Jacquez Green is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League for five seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s...
- 2003 – Dwight FreeneyDwight FreeneyDwight Jason Freeney is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University.-Early years:Freeney attended Bloomfield High School...
- 2004 – Dwight FreeneyDwight FreeneyDwight Jason Freeney is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University.-Early years:Freeney attended Bloomfield High School...
- 2005 – Michael Lewis
- 2006 – Alex SmithAlex Smith (tight end)Edwin Alexander "Alex" Smith , is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
- 2007 – Alex SmithAlex Smith (tight end)Edwin Alexander "Alex" Smith , is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
- 2008 – Willis McGaheeWillis McGaheeWillis Andrew McGahee III is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- 2009 – Antonio BryantAntonio BryantAntonio Bryant is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
- 2010 – Maurice Jones-DrewMaurice Jones-DrewMaurice Christopher Jones-Drew is a professional American football player who currently plays running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
- 2011 – Patrick WillisPatrick WillisPatrick L. Willis is an American football player who plays inside linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers 11th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft...
, Chad Ochocinco, and Maria MenounosMaria MenounosMaria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...
Rookie Madden Bowl winners
- 2006 – Alex SmithAlex Smith (tight end)Edwin Alexander "Alex" Smith , is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
- 2007 – Vince YoungVince YoungVincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
- 2008 – Devin ThomasDevin ThomasDevin Thomas is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the New York Giants. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State...
- 2009 – Vernon GholstonVernon GholstonVernon Gholston is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2008 NFL Draft....
Annual EA Super Bowl simulation
Since 2004, EA games has run a simulation of the Super Bowl using the latest game in the "Madden NFL" series and announced the result. The game simulations conducted by EA have predicted six of the last eight Super Bowl winners (both cases where the prediction ran counter to the actual outcome featured wild card teams winning the Super Bowl). EA also releases a computer-generated description of the simulated game as if it were a summary of the real Super Bowl. The results of the simulated and actual Super Bowl games are listed below.- 2004Super Bowl XXXVIIISuper Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
– Patriots 23, Panthers 20 (Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29) - 2005Super Bowl XXXIXSuper Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
– Patriots 47, Eagles 31 (Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21) - 2006Super Bowl XLSuper Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
– Steelers 24, Seahawks 19 (Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10) - 2007Super Bowl XLISuper Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
– Colts 38, Bears 27 (Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17) - 2008Super Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
– Patriots 38, Giants 30 (Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14) - 2009Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
– Steelers 28, Cardinals 24 (Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23) - 2010Super Bowl XLIVSuper Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
– Saints 35, Colts 31 (Actual score: Saints 31, Colts 17) - 2011Super Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
- Steelers 24, Packers 20(Actual score: Packers 31, Steelers 25)