After an exceptional season, highlighted with 13 touchdowns (11 rushing, two receiving), over 13 million fans have voted Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hills to appear on the cover of Madden '12.
Hillis beat out Ravens running back Ray Rice, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, Super Bowl winning Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to reach the final round in which he was matched up against Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. All the players previously mentioned made playoff appearances with their team this past January, unlike Hillis. The cover was revealed yesterday on ESPN’s Sportsnation.
One of the most decorated moments of his season was the jaw-dropping performance he had in New England versus the then (6-2) Patriots. With 29 carries and three catches, he accumulated more total yards (220) than quarterback and teammate Colt McCoy and only four yards less than Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on that day. That performance opened the world's eyes to Hillis’ potential to dominate even the best teams in the league.
Hillis joins the company of Brett Favre, Marshall Faulk and Ray Lewis in the halls of legendary former Madden cover athletes. He is the third player from the AFC North and first from the Cleveland Browns to be on the cover.
Next year, Hillis may have to contend with the so called "Madden Curse", an injury or down-year previous Madden cover stars have experienced during the season after being honored.
In the 2009 season, Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu, who graced the cover with Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the season opener versus the Tennessee Titans and missed the four following games; later in the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, he tore his posterior cruciate ligament PCL.
Two years before that, former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander fractured his foot as he came off a Super Bowl appearance and league MVP award. His career never recovered from that injury; he went on to straddle through four games with the Washington Redskins in 2008 before being released mid-season. Despite these occurrences, Hillis says he does not believe in famous superstitions.
Congratulations to Peyton Hillis on this highly-regarded honor.
By the way: With the 27th overall pick, the Ravens selected CB Jimmy Smith.
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