New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski will put Madden Curse to rest
By Luke Sims
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has had a typical “Gronk” offseason, which is finally capped by becoming the first tight end to be featured on a Madden cover.
The “Madden Curse” has hung over every player to grace the cover, despite little evidence actually suggesting it is real. Each year it is talked about as if it actually causes players to regress. But, like most curses, it’s nothing more than superstition.
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As announced by ESPN’s Mike Reiss and SportsCenter among other outlets, Rob Gronkowski will grace the cover in the latest Madden installment, shifting the dark curse cloud over his head and away from Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants.
Rob Gronkowski will grace the cover of Madden 17. #LIVEonSC pic.twitter.com/stljpsiLZi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2016
Of all the players who are fortunate enough to land on the cover of Madden, Gronkowski is the most likely to finally dispel the curse and it’s continual discussion. Assuming he isn’t sidelined by another injury like 2013’s half season, he’ll utterly dominate in ways that only he can.
What that could look like his anything close to his 69.4 yards per game, or almost one touchdown per game (.86), or 4.8 receptions per game. Gronkowski is a juggernaut on the football field and forces defenses to conform to his game, creating opportunities in for other receivers, quarterback Tom Brady, and even the running game. He’s a game changing tight end and it’s often reflected in his superb numbers. If he gets even remotely close to his usual dominance, it may be time to put the Madden Curse discussions to rest.
A dominant Gronk season would come on the heels of a respectable season by Beckham (1450 yards, 13 touchdowns), Richard Sherman (two interceptions, 14 passes defensed, 16 games started), and Adrian Peterson (1266 yards, 10 touchdowns in just 14 games). Those are numbers of successful players, not disappointing seasons for cover athletes.
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In fact, to prop up the Madden Curse one would have to reach back to Madden NFL ’12 which featured Cleveland Browns running back
on the cover. This was, more than anything, a poor selection of a player for the franchise to choose for its cover. Hillis was never much more than a flavor of the month running back and hasn’t played for a team since 2014.
For many fans of the NFL the Madden Curse is a welcome offseason discussion point despite its general irrelevance once the season starts. That irrelevance will be made even more noteworthy with the addition of the league’s best tight end on the cover.
Rob Gronkowski breaks the internet, he dominates the party scene, he’s the consummate blend of superstar athlete and party boy, bringing a flair for developing a personal brand that arguably surpasses even Peyton Manning and his legendary commercials. He’s his own man and he is larger than life.
That’s the kind of personality that will sell games. It’s also the kind of personality that demands the spotlight. All eyes will be on Gronkowski because all eyes are always on him. So when he puts up his standard, exceptional numbers everyone will finally see that the Madden Curse has nothing to it.
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It’s time to put the Madden Curse to rest and Rob Gronkowski is just the guy to do it.