00:00All right, Doug Carr, Scott Anderson, 97.1.
00:02Open lines, 248-539-9797.
00:06Madden cover.
00:06See the Madden covers out?
00:08Yeah.
00:08Do you believe in the Madden curse still?
00:10Is this a real thing?
00:11I don't know what the results are leaving on that.
00:13We should get Evan in here for this.
00:15Doesn't Evan get in here, buddy?
00:18I want to get your two cents on this.
00:19Because this used to be a real thing.
00:21There's no question.
00:22And I don't even believe in this stuff.
00:24But I most not don't believe in this.
00:28Huh?
00:30Even with all the evidence we've had in the past?
00:32Like straight facts?
00:34Yeah.
00:34That's what I'm asking.
00:34What is it now?
00:35Because I know that like 10 years ago, you could say, wow, it was every, it felt like two out
00:40of three years, somebody was going down with the Madden jinx injury.
00:43I feel like the Madden jinx, and it was also lack of production.
00:46Like, I feel like the Madden jinx was almost formulaic.
00:49And what I mean by that is they would try and find the biggest riser that suddenly jumped
00:55into the four and became a household name and then reverted to what they were.
01:02Now, there was injuries.
01:04That was definitely a deal.
01:05And the reason we bring it up is because Caleb Williams, quarterback, Chicago Bears,
01:11is on the Madden cover.
01:14So is this a real thing?
01:17Do you still actually believe in the Madden jinx?
01:23I want to.
01:24Yeah.
01:25I love the idea of the jinx when it affects another team.
01:29And Lord knows the Lions have had enough injury issues over the last three seasons.
01:33I don't want to see those anymore.
01:35So if it happens to another team, yeah.
01:38Look, injuries always happen.
01:40I mean, last year was insane how many injuries were, not just the Lions, but all throughout
01:45the league.
01:45You had major players going down with injuries, and that's just where we're at.
01:50You throw another game on the schedule, and it's another opportunity for guys to get hurt.
01:55Who was on the cover last year?
01:57Saquon Barkley.
01:59And his numbers dipped.
02:01Yeah, well, because he had just come off a 2,000-yard year, and they put him on the cover.
02:05I think he rushed for like 1,100 yards last year, which is not like a terrible year, but
02:09definitely down for what he was expected to do.
02:11So is he considered another victim by definition?
02:16It's not as strong as it used to be.
02:18There used to be season-ending injuries, or just not even making the playoffs, you know,
02:23those type of...
02:24That's the effect it had.
02:25But Eagles didn't have the best year last year, and Saquon...
02:29I mean, Saquon went from, you said, the 2,000-yard season.
02:32He averaged 5.8 yards a carry that year with 13 touchdowns.
02:36Last year, played the same amount of games, 16, had 1,100 yards, a 4.1 yards per carry,
02:43and seven touchdowns.
02:45So almost cut in half his production in terms of yards and touchdowns, and his yards per carry
02:52dropped almost two full yards.
02:56That's huge.
02:57Yeah, and people that play fantasy football, like myself still, they felt the effect.
03:02So they thought the curse was real, because he was a highly-drafted player, and he just
03:06did not come through with the stats, and you just read him off, Gator.
03:10I got a text from Evan.
03:11He's on a corporate call.
03:12I can't come in.
03:13I did find a story here, so about Saquon in 26.
03:1725, it was Christian McCaffrey.
03:19He struggled with injuries.
03:22He was on a cover in 25?
03:24Yes, which meant for the 24 season, because you know how the numbers are.
03:27Right, right.
03:27So the 20.
03:30The result is McCaffrey struggled with injuries.
03:32The 49er star played just four games and was placed on injured reserve twice.
03:36Yeah, that's a bad one.
03:37Madden 24, Josh Allen.
03:39Allen's season, also featured on the cover, proved to be something of a mixed bag.
03:43The Buffalo Bills signal caller combined for 44 touchdowns on the ground and through the air,
03:46however, he threw a career-high 18 interception.
03:51Madden 22 cover, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, the two stars sharing the cover,
03:56each enjoyed strong seasons.
03:58Now, Brady, you know.
03:59Oh, boy.
03:59The 21 cover was Lamar Jackson.
04:02Jackson didn't reach the same heights as his 2019 campaign that earned the first league MVP honors,
04:06but the Baltimore Ravens still had an impressive campaign.
04:09Patrick Mahomes in 2020.
04:12Mahomes' first nod on the game cover proves to be a wise choice.
04:14He followed up his 2018 MVP campaign season with another strong season.
04:20Well, it's Caleb Williams.
04:23If given the choice, if somebody called you up and said, and I'm serious, I'm serious,
04:29we're going to put a lion on the cover unless you say no, what would you say?
04:33Nope.
04:36Can't given a choice, would you tell them seriously say no?
04:38Oh, man, I would, I do believe in the jinx, but it'd be pretty damn sweet to see Jameer Gibbs
04:43on the cover of Madden, you know, because I'm also a video game, like, I was a video game guy,
04:49but I'd probably, and answer you at Gator.
04:51Gator's pained with this answer.
04:53Don't you, don't, don't you, don't you put that on him.
04:56Okay, I would, to be safe, I would say no.
05:00But, I mean, I know players love it, though.
05:01They would say yes right away.
05:02Well, the last lion on there broke the curse.
05:06Was it Barry or Calvin?
05:07Oh, Calvin.
05:08I guess Barry was on there beforehand.
05:11Thank you, Bobby.
05:12Did Calvin retire after that?
05:15Yeah, he was on the cover of the 2013 Madden.
05:18So what did he do?
05:20Ah, well, I can look it back.
05:21He broke Jerry Rice's single season receiving yards that year.
05:25The story doesn't go back that far for some reason.
05:27So the 2013 regular season, how did he play?
05:32Yeah.
05:33Uh, he was third in the NFL in receiving yards.
05:39He played 14 games, so he's hurt a couple games.
05:43Okay.
05:44What would they have done if they had Miles Garrett on the cover?
05:50Oh, change it up?
05:51Yeah, Photoshop AI.
05:53I mean, I guess in this day and age, everybody downloads games all the time anyway.
05:57So it's not like it really matters.
06:00I can just change the image.
06:01Does it apply to college football?
06:05I don't think it does.
06:06Because those covers have been released as well.
06:09Well, they've only been doing that for a couple years, though, right?
06:11Because that was the whole NIL thing.
06:13That Ed O'Bannon case, yeah.
06:15Which might have sparked this entire world.
06:18Ed O'Bannon might have started.
06:20He started the ball rolling downhill on this whole thing.
06:24Because there's two covers.
06:25That was like his brother better.
06:26Charles O'Bannon?
06:28The O'Bannon brothers?
06:29UCLA?
06:29Um, there's a standard edition in college and there's a deluxe edition in college.
06:35The standard edition on the cover.
06:38Gotta get you twice.
06:39Is Miami Florida wide receiver Malachi Tony, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, and Ole Miss running back Keywon Lacey.
06:47The deluxe edition has a bunch of players, but front and center, Kurt Cignetti.
06:55Interesting.
06:56I will say this.
06:57I would take the field against Indiana this year.
07:02So, would that apply?
07:04Is it a Madden cover jinx if Indiana doesn't win the national championship?
07:08Or is that just...
07:10No.
07:10Do they have to have a disastrous season?
07:12If they don't make the playoff.
07:14I mean, what are they going to have?
07:1572 teams make the playoff this year?
07:17No, this year it's still 12.
07:19Oh.
07:19Yep.
07:20They're waiting a couple years before they completely ruin it.
07:22Yeah, would you be able to say if they don't make the playoff this year that that would be the
07:26jinx coming through for a team that's made it the last two years?
07:29That's a good question.
07:32I feel like any downturn whatsoever is interpreted as being the jinx.
07:38You know, he did miss two games with a pinky.
07:40Like anything that goes wrong, they say it's the jinx.
07:43But there's no...
07:44Nobody talks about the college football jinx, right?
07:47No.
07:47There hasn't been one to worry about forever.
07:50The game, you mean.
07:51There hasn't been a college football cover.
07:52Yeah.
07:53They just started doing that again.
07:54All right.
07:55Well, it's Caleb Williams.
07:59The guy that will have to deal with the jinx.
08:02Are you looking at the cover right now?
08:04No.
08:04I got the college cover up, but I can go back.
08:08Pull up the Caleb Williams Madden one.
08:10Okay.
08:10How about that Hammond, Indiana skyline?
08:16Looking nice.
08:19They've kind of oversold Hammond.
08:21They really have.
08:22Sweet cover, though.
08:25He's got like the Jordan pose going.
08:27He kind of does.
08:28Right?
08:28With the Hammond, Indiana in the back.
08:30He's leaping in the air.
08:32Yeah, the building's actually...
08:33That doesn't look like Hammond.
08:35No.
08:35You know what?
08:35It's clearly Chicago.
08:36The problem is, it's Chicago close up.
08:39You should just barely be able to see Chicago way off in the distance.
08:44That's what it should be.
08:46But yes, it's Caleb Williams in the air with his legs spread apart like Michael Jordan throwing
08:51a football.
08:52But Chicago's way too close.
08:54It should be way in the distance.
08:55Kang, as a collector, you understand this.
08:57I'm going to buy as many of these as I can because it's a mistake.
09:04Because clearly, this is not Hammond, right?
09:06It's a mistake.
09:07They accidentally put Chicago in the background.
09:09A mistake.
09:10Actually, the curse is already there.
09:12Chicago's in the background.
09:14And they're going to Hammond.
09:15Actually, Chicago is getting cursed, isn't it?
09:18Is that what it is?
09:18Yeah.
09:20Bravo.
09:21It's already there.
09:21Way to workshop this, Scott.
09:24Dude, they might seriously end up at Hammond.
09:26Do you see they adjourned without voting?
09:29What are we doing now?
09:30And I think the Bears are like, I'm going to Yemen.
09:35The Bears are like, seriously?
09:37Nobody's going to pay?
09:39Ernie's going to hide?
09:40You can't kick in a little more money?
09:41How about Chicago?
09:42City of Chicago are not going to kick in more money?
09:44Their new address.
09:46You guys are billionaires.
09:47Foot the bill.
09:502-4-8-5-3-9-97-97.
09:53All right.
09:53Somebody is very chesty about Detroit.
09:55And I mean chesty.
09:56We will get to that today at 1148 here on Carson Anderson on 97.1.
Comments