Maddening

Can anything stop Tom Brady? 

How about a good old fashioned curse?

Rumor has it Tom Brady will grace the cover of Madden 22. 

I know. The so-called "Madden Curse" is not real. Correlation is not causation. There aren't little demons living in your Playstation 4 and leprechauns can only cast spells on breakfast cereal. 

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

You say, "Hey, smartass; Brady was on the cover of Madden 18 and still went to the Super Bowl.

Yes. 

A Super Bowl loss. 

Brady set the record for most passing yards (505) in a Super Bowl, the Patriots never punted, and still they lost to the Eagles in a game where Bill Belichick was coaching against Doug Pederson. That doesn't sound like a curse was somehow involved?

You tell me there have been just as many Madden cover athletes who had a great year as those who failed. You'd be wrong on the math but I get it. Patrick Mahomes was on the cover of Madden 20 and won the Super Bowl that year. 

Two things…

#1 - Recency Bias.

#2 - This is how curses work. They hide in plain sight. They manifest as a blessing to lull you into a false sense of security before they rip your still beating heart from your chest. On TV. In front of a global audience. They wait. Revenge isn't the only dish best served cold. Back to back Super Bowl wins? So close. You can smell it, you can taste it, you can almost touch it… The Madden Curse would like to know: How did the turf in Tampa taste, Patrick?

Okay, a third thing...

#3 - Nobody's perfect, not even the Madden Curse.