Sunday, January 15, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
VIII: The Madden Curse '17
Last year we examined the Madden Curse on the Larkspur Bowl. No team with the Cover athlete on their active roster (or injured reserve) has been able to go on to capture the Larkspur Bowl Championship, and never was the fabled affliction clearer than in 2015, when Odell Beckham, in the midst of a remarkable sophomore season, ended up suspended for the Larkspur Bowl championship, resulting in Pawnee's lopsided defeat at the hands of the South Park Cows.
This season GRONK was on the marquee. Coming off back to back healthy seasons where he played 15 games and piled up four digits of yardage and two digits of touchdowns, Rob Gronkowski had minimized his injury prone label. Savannah made him their first round pick, sixth overall.
Gronk's status slowly degraded to the point that the Pete tight end missed the first two weeks of the season with injury. Problematic but hardly insurmountable- however, Savannah's attempts to temporarily replace their star proved futile: In week one, Tyler Kroft scored zero. In week two, Brent Celek scored zero. In week three, a limited Gronk was active for the game- he scored zero. The team started the season 0-3. A black cloud had descended upon them... some would argue they invited it, by challenging the curse.
In week four Gronk finally caught a ball, and while his 1.9 was meager, the Petes won a game and Gronk was poised to get back to full strength. And for a month he was! Reeling off four straight monster games (15.6, 29.2, 18.5, 23.3) he was worth the top pick he was selected with. But his week nine bye slowed his momentum, and he would never recapture it. He wouldn't have a chance.
In week ten Rob Gronkowski was having a solid game (7.7 points) when he tried to make a big play in the center of the field and suffered what he called "the hardest hit of his career." Earl Thomas ensured he would score no more that week, and he was held out in week eleven for precautionary reasons. In week twelve he returned briefly, but it was clear that his season was over. Herniated disc. Injured reserve. Curse intact.
The Petes went 5-5 after the disastrous three week stretch where they were basically shorthanded. Three of those five remaining losses were by single digits; Conceivably one player could have made a difference. Unfortunately, that one player had received the dark omen in the preseason.
As we await announcement of Madden 18's cover athlete, teams have to be considering what impact drafting the unnamed superstar might have on their franchise's fortunes.
This season GRONK was on the marquee. Coming off back to back healthy seasons where he played 15 games and piled up four digits of yardage and two digits of touchdowns, Rob Gronkowski had minimized his injury prone label. Savannah made him their first round pick, sixth overall.
Gronk's status slowly degraded to the point that the Pete tight end missed the first two weeks of the season with injury. Problematic but hardly insurmountable- however, Savannah's attempts to temporarily replace their star proved futile: In week one, Tyler Kroft scored zero. In week two, Brent Celek scored zero. In week three, a limited Gronk was active for the game- he scored zero. The team started the season 0-3. A black cloud had descended upon them... some would argue they invited it, by challenging the curse.
In week four Gronk finally caught a ball, and while his 1.9 was meager, the Petes won a game and Gronk was poised to get back to full strength. And for a month he was! Reeling off four straight monster games (15.6, 29.2, 18.5, 23.3) he was worth the top pick he was selected with. But his week nine bye slowed his momentum, and he would never recapture it. He wouldn't have a chance.
In week ten Rob Gronkowski was having a solid game (7.7 points) when he tried to make a big play in the center of the field and suffered what he called "the hardest hit of his career." Earl Thomas ensured he would score no more that week, and he was held out in week eleven for precautionary reasons. In week twelve he returned briefly, but it was clear that his season was over. Herniated disc. Injured reserve. Curse intact.
The Petes went 5-5 after the disastrous three week stretch where they were basically shorthanded. Three of those five remaining losses were by single digits; Conceivably one player could have made a difference. Unfortunately, that one player had received the dark omen in the preseason.
As we await announcement of Madden 18's cover athlete, teams have to be considering what impact drafting the unnamed superstar might have on their franchise's fortunes.
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