Last year, EA decided to hand over the "Madden" cover athlete decision to the fans. The end result was the pretty obvious choice of Drew Brees, who had won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints earlier in the year. The fan decision didn't come until the choices were narrowed down to just three players (Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne and Jared Allen), but this year things are starting up a bit earlier. EA is holding a bracket-style competition with ESPN, pitting 32 players against each other for the top honors of helming "Madden NFL 12."
One player from each of the NFL teams is represented (save for Seattle Seahawks, as their "player" is the notoriously-loud 12th Man, aka their fans). The voting for each of the rounds will last a week, with the final athlete determined in late April.
It's a clever move by EA, as there won't be a whole lot of player-centric news happening in the NFL while this strike is still going on, and by having multiple rounds, they have multiple opportunities to reach into the strong fanbases of each of the teams.
Voting has already begun for the first round, so head on over and make your picks. Despite being a New York Giants fan, I would sort of like to see Danny Woodhead make a go, what with his charming, "Rudy"-like stature and attitude. But a more well-known face like Aaron Rogers or Mark Sanchez seems like a safer bet. Maybe they could just give the handheld version to Woodhead?