Madden 15's release date has been announced. It's coming out in August (on the 26th, to be exact). Surprised? Yeah, me either.
But EA did announce that the Madden cover vote is on its way back at ESPN, and that's super exciting. You've got to figure that teaser trailer spokesman Luke Kuechly will be a candidate (but over Carolina fan favorite Cam Newton though, really?), but he wouldn't be my top pick. Here's my top five most-wanted cover athletes for this year:
Seriously, how has Peyton been in the league dominating for as long as he has and never graced the cover of Madden? Maybe last year - where he not only won the MVP for the fourth time but also broke both the NFL single-season records for passing touchdowns and yards - will finally be enough to get him onto the cover. Terrelle Davis represented the Broncos in last year's Madden 25 vote featuring classic players, but give it to Manning this year. Please.
Without Jamaal Charles last year, my fantasy season would've been ruined. I'm sure a lot of people can say the same. With over 2,000 total yards of offense and 19 total touchdowns, he was a stud. But on top of just being a great fantasy football performer, Charles helped jettison the Chiefs from awful to playoff team. If he hadn't gotten injured in the first round against the Colts, the Chiefs might have managed even more than that.
Say what you will about Sherman's personality (and his famous interview), but the guy can play football, and play it really well. There haven't been many defensive players on the cover of Madden - only two, actually: Ray Lewis on the cover of Madden 05, and Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu shared a cover with Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald on Madden 10. Sherman's arguably the best player on the best defense in the league, though. And his team just won the Super Bowl.
Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards last year... after serving a two-game suspension at the beginning of the season. With 1,646 yards, he averaged almost 118 yards per game, including two straight games with over 230 yards in the middle of the season. And that was with the likes of Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell throwing him the ball. Gordon's definitely deserving of a cover, although it would give the Browns two covers in the last four years if he won.
McCoy, much like Charles, helped take a team from the crapper to the playoffs last season with the Philadephia Eagles. With over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns, McCoy has Madden coverboy written all over him. I'd probably give the nod to Charles if I was going with a running back, but just because the Chiefs' turnaround was so much more surprising than the Eagles' (at least in my opinion).
Who would be your pick to grace the cover of Madden 15? Let us know in the comments! (And then of course vote for your favorite in a little over a week.)
