Last season, Giants rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. burst onto the scene with an absolutely mind-blowing catch against the Cowboys on national television. OBJ continued his stellar rookie campaign with more highlight plays than any rookie receiver since Randy Moss, racking up over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Odell lovefest grew so rapidly that he was nominated for the Madden cover. Beckam beat out Rob Gronkowski in the the voting to become the youngest player ever featured on the cover. I’m sure Gronk is wallowing in a club somewhere with plenty of shots.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/598621511767953408/photo/1
Madden 16 will include a new playmaking feature for the skill positions. EA Sports elaborated on the feature in their press release:
“Today, EA also released a first look video for Madden NFL 16 showcasing each of the playmakers featured in the Cover Vote. The video provides the first glimpse of Madden NFL 16 in action, featuring all-new playmaking tools that highlight the battle for Air Supremacy. Additional info about this year’s game will be released throughout the summer.”
This honor could be a blessing or a curse for OBJ, especially since the dreaded “Madden Curse” is a very real thing. Since 1999, Garrison Hearst, Dante Culpepper, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Troy Polamalu, and Peyton Hillis have all suffered major injuries after being put on the cover. That doesn’t even include Barry Sanders, who retired shortly after being featured.
Maybe Beckham’s youth will prevent the curse from looming over his head this season.
(ESPN)
