2007: VINCE YOUNG
The NRL team that drafted Vince finished in 5th. The NRL team he ended up with finished in 9th. However, this does not constitute a curse- Vince Young is just not very good. Drafting him was a bad idea, playing him was a bad idea, and finishing with him under center was a bad idea. No curse, just stupidity.
2008: BRETT FAVRE
Here is where the curse begins: The Phoenix Uprising (Then called the Red Storm) coaxed QB Brett Favre out of a brief off season retirement, and made him their opening day starter under center. And the team went on to win the 2008 Championship! But Brett Favre was not under center for that: On September 15th, immediately following Week Two, Phoenix sent the ole gunslinger to the Alabama Green Gang for WR Steve Smith. Phoenix went 5-6 the rest of the way but managed to back into the playoffs and win the league over the Carolina Carnage. Alabama actually went 6-5 after acquiring Favre, but missed the playoffs and finished in eighth. Favre's record as a starter in the NRL that year? 8-4. But no trophy.
2009: TROY POLAMALU & LARRY FITZGERALD
The Larkspur Bowls' first season featured only six of the current teams: Phoenix, New York, Hill Valley, Saskatoon (then Atlanta), HCM City (then Levee NOLA) and Savannah. The Petes would draft SS Troy Polamalu in 2009, while the Carolina Carnage drafted WR Larry Fitzgerald. Polamalu struggled with knee injuries, while Fitzgerald had a stellar season (196 points) but neither team would enjoy much success: Savannah made the playoffs at 8-5 but bowed out in the first round, and has not won a Larkspur Bowl since. Team Carnage went 6-7 and folded along with the original accursed, Alabama, who had gone 9-4 before bowing out in the semifinals and taking the bronze.
2010: DREW BREES
Brees was drafted thirteenth overall by the Finest, coming off their loss in Larkspur Bowl I. This season would be marred to the tune of 5-8, despite the team trading cover boy Brees to Savannah. The Petes (who have carried a Madden Curse three times in seven years) ended up 5-8 as well. Neither team made the playoffs.
2011: PEYTON HILLIS
In 2010 Hillis had a huge year scoring 224 points for the McFlys, and cashed in with a feature on the cover of Madden. His 2011 was as Madden Cursed as a player could be- the first player drafted in the second round by the Pawnee Pride, his year was an unmitigated bust- totaling 84 points, and playing only ten games, including missing time with 'a cold.' He was discarded by the Pride (who would go 6-7 and miss the playoffs) before finishing the year with Vermont, who snuck into the playoffs at 7-6. They lost immediately and then went 3-10 the following season before bowing out of Larkspur competition.
2012: CALVIN JOHNSON
Megatron was drafted by Nebraska eleventh overall, and had a huge season- scoring 294 points on the year. But the team went just 5-8, and beset by injuries, moved their top pick, (along with TE Dustin Keller) to Hill Valley for Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. The McFlys went 9-4 that season, securing the #2 seed and a bye, and defeated the (then) two-time defending champion Uprising before running into a 7-6 upstart Islander team. The McFlys went down, and the curse remained intact. Nebraska did not return in 2013.
2013: ADRIAN PETERSON
The Orgrimmar Horde took Adrian Peterson in the first round, and although they bandied about moving their workhorse, they did not. They did go 8-5, returning to the playoffs after missing them for the only time in franchise history in 2012; But they lost to Toronto in the first round, and the team went on Hiatus. There are rumors the Horde are honing their skills in an underground city league, and officially Nick Stano remains in the Larkspur Bowl as the Special Traveling Assistant to the League Commissioner. As for Peterson, he may have kept the curse with him: In 2014 he was the Oakwood Drivers' first round selection, but missed all but the first game, following a well publicized bit of child abuse. In 2015 as a member of the Manitoba Moosecrew, he has led the league in rushing, but was unable to carry the Crew to the playoffs.
2014: RICHARD SHERMAN
The Legionnaire of Boom was drafted by Savannah but traded in mid September (along with CB mate Patrick Peterson) to Pawnee for RB Darren McFadden and WR Allen Hurns. The Pride's second bout of the plague ended the same as their first, with the team missing the playoffs despite going 7-6 on the year. The Petes finished fourth overall, their best ever finish, but still less than curse breaking.
2015: ODELL BECKHAM
After tempting fate twice, the Pride have gone down the path of ill return a third time, drafting Odell Beckham in the first round. The sophomore WR has been incredible to date, scoring 307 points through fifteen games, helping Pawnee to an 8-5 record, the #3 seed, and two playoff victories. However, his antics in the semifinals have caused him to be suspended for Larkspur Bowl VII, leaving the team shorthanded. If the Pride can overcome his loss to win the Bowl, is the curse broken? Or will the curse be circumvented by Beckham's suspension, allowing the Pride to win a game they'd have lost if he was present? WE'LL SEE, STARTING IN JUST ABOUT TWENTY FOUR HOURS.
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