There are some things in life that you can just set your watch to and sit back and wait for it. For example, I knew -- knew -- with 100 percent certainty that Seattle Seahawks star and reigning NFL MVP Shaun Alexander would go down with an injury this year. How did I know this would happen? Because Alexander was tapped as the cover boy for Madden NFL 2007. And yesterday, Alexander did indeed break a bone in his foot and is now sidelined indefinitely.

Yes, there is a href="http://www.twitchguru.com/2006/07/10/mmr/page4.html">Madden curse; I
wrote about it a couple months back. Electronic Arts' Madden NFL series is one
of the most popular video game franchises of all time, but for whatever reason,
the NFL players that make the cover of the game always seem to fall on hard
times immediately after receiving the dubious honor. I'm not sure why this is; I
don't really believe in superstition or the supernatural. But these seemingly
unrelated series freak occurances, poor plays, and serious and even career-
threatening injuries always seem to strike the Madden NFL cover boys, who tend
to have their worst seasons of their careers after being put on the cover of the
game.

For all those people out there that bet big on Seahawks and had Seattle
returning to the Super Bowl this year, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young is in serious trouble. Not only will the second-year NFL star need to avoid the dreaded "sophomore jinx" but he'll also need to hire a protective detail and a witch doctor to shield him from the misfortune known as "The Madden Curse."

I'm sure by now most people know what the Madden Curse is, but for the uninitiated, here it is in a nutshell: ever since the mega-popular EA sports title began putting major NFL stars on the cover of the game box, those particular players have fallen victim to a series of odd misfortunes, from terrible slumps to freak injuries.

In fact, I wrote about the Madden Curse in a column last year in which I described my general contempt for the Madden NFL game franchise, and one of the biggest reasons was the Madden Curse. Here was the evidence I submitted in that column:

• In 1999, EA put Detroit Lion Barry Sanders on the Madden NFL 2000 cover, who was on his way to becoming the greatest running back. He suddenly and inexplicably retired during training camp that summer. Green Bay Packer's running back Dorsey Levens was also featured on another cover of the game. He was cut a year later.

• Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George is on the cover of the 2001 version. That year, George has a key fumble in a playoff game, leading to a Titans loss. George became injury-plagued after that season and was never the same player.

• EA went with a QB for Madden NFL 2002, but Minnesota Viking Dante Culpepper suffered a 4-7 record before having season-ending knee surgery.

• Back to running backs! EA put future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk on the cover, but the St. Louis Rams RB struggled that season and never again gained 1,000-plus yards.

• Rising star Michael Vick graced the cover for Madden NFL 2004, but the Atlanta Falcons quarterback broke his leg during a meaningless preseason game during the summer and played just five games that season.

• Okay, let's try a defensive player this time! EA picked Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, who had been one of the most dominant defensive players in the game - until that season, when he put up mediocre stats and the Ravens missed the playoffs.

• And the coup de grace: Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2006, and he soon endured a nightmare season: a feud with receiver Terrell Owens (who was later cast off from the team), a serious injury that led to a sports hernia (ouch!) and missing the playoffs with a terrible season. Perhaps most unbelievably, the president of the Philadelphia NAACP chapter Jerry Mondesire criticized McNabb, who is black, in a newspaper editorial. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mondesire called McNabb a mediocre player and claimed McNabb wasn't playing the quarterback position like a true African American athlete, i.e. not running and scrambling enough.

And the curse continued this year, too. Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander graced the cover of Madden NFL 2007 this year, just one year removed from his historic MVP season. And what do you think happened? He got injured. Specifically, he missed a huge portion of the season after breaking his foot in the first game of the year. Coincidence? I think not.

The Madden Curse has become such a terrible force that after San Deigo Charger fans began a petition to keep their superstar running back and league MVP Ladanian Tomlinson off the cover of Madden NFL 2008. Now those are smart, dedicated fans. As a New England Patriots fan, I would have done exactly the same thing if Tom Brady was being considered as a cover candidate. Just imagine what would happen if Brady were on the cover: he'd probably suffer a career-ending concussion and go back to dating Tara Reid instead of supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Moving on. This year's cover boy, Vince Young, had an excellent rookie season as a first-year quarterback. But I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen to him soon. And for the life of me, I can't understand why the Titans or their fans would allow their young franchise quarterback to be on the cover of Madden NFL 2008. They just don't learn, do they? How much evidence does one need to believe in a curse? I hope it doesn't take 86 years.