Tom Brady is not worried about the Madden NFL curse

Every year, a new football superstar is chosen to be the face of the next Madden game. This year, Madden NFL 18 will feature the five-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. This announcement, as it does every year, begs the question: will the quarterback be smitten by the Madden curse?

Since Madden NFL’s 2001 release, nearly every Madden cover athlete has been a victim of the ethereal effects of this “curse,” enduring sufferings as minor as an underwhelming 3.0 yards-per-carry average (Eddie George – running back) to a debilitating injury during a pre-season game (Michael Vick – dog-killer). Fortunately, Brady doesn’t seem worried about the curse. “I’m not one to believe in curses,” said Brady, “so I’m ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn’t stand a chance!”

We wish him luck on combating the spirits.

This will be the first time in the Madden series’ history for a team to be featured on the cover two years in a row, with the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski emblazoned on last year’s cover. Gronkowski suffered a hamstring injury at the start of last year’s season, causing him to miss the first two games. Later, he suffered a severe back injury that put him on injured reserve.

Along with this cover announcement, EA revealed details on the game’s pre-order bonuses and special editions. Pre-order offers for the standard edition include five redeemable Squad Packs and a choice of an Elite player for use in Madden’s Ultimate Team mode. The Greatest of All Time edition allows players to choose one of five G. O. A. T. players for their Ultimate Team in addition to everything from the Standard edition. Those who purchase the G. O. A. T. edition will also gain access to the game on August 22, three days prior to its worldwide release.

Madden NFL 18 will be available worldwide on August 25 for Xbox one and PS4. EA says that they will be revealing more details on the game—including a reveal of a new game mode—during its live event EA PLAY on June 10.

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