[Injury Watch] Ray Lewis on cover of "Madden 2005"

[RedskinsFreak]

Linebacker Ray Lewis, one of the toughest and most-feared players in the National Football League, will have to tackle an unlikely nemesis this season: the threat of a digital jinx.

Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. Friday said it would feature the Baltimore Ravens star on the cover of "Madden NFL 2005," the next version of its annual football video game, which outsells all competition by a wide margin.

The catch is that some sports fan believe the "Madden" cover is cursed.

The last three athletes to grace the game's cover have subsequently suffered injuries that hampered their seasons and hurt their team's fortunes:

--"Madden 2002" star Daunte Culpepper, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, suffered a knee injury, and his team ended up with a losing season.

--"Madden 2003" cover figure Marshall Faulk, the star running back of the St. Louis Rams, went on to a sub-par season.

--"Madden 2004," featured Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who broke his leg in the preseason and missed most of the regular season.

[Jake]

Awesome! Don't get me wrong, I will never wish for anyone to ever get injured, and I DO believe in the Madden jinx, so I'll just let the jinx do the work.