Peyton Hillis wins Madden '12 Cover vote

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Madden bruiser: Peyton Hillis voted onto game's cover - ESPN

ESPN.com users have spoken, and the face of Madden NFL 12 will be Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis.

Hillis was announced Wednesday as the winner of the fan vote, under way since March 21, on "SportsNation" on ESPN2. In all, almost 13 million votes were cast during the process -- including more than 1 million in the final.


Peyton Hillis completed his surprising run through the Madden cover bracket and will be the face of this year's game.
The 10th-seeded Hillis overwhelmingly defeated Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, seeded third, garnering 66 percent of the vote in the final of the 32-player bracket to become the cover of this year'’s version of the popular NFL video game franchise. This is the first year fans were allowed to vote for the game'’s cover.

After he was named the winner, Hillis said he was "excited" and that he didn't think he had a shot against Vick, whom he has "always looked up to."

Hillis acknowledged the support he has received from Browns fans and said: "I just want to tell them thanks and I'’m going to play my best for them."

Vick said he was happy for Hillis and was proud of how far he made it in the voting.

"My fans, they stuck in there," Vick said. "I made it this far and that’s a plus for me."

Hillis upset higher seeds throughout the vote. Hillis beat Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (the No. 7 seed), Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (No. 2), Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (No. 6) and No. 1 seeded Green Bay Packers quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers to get to the final.

Hillis was buoyed by an online campaign that included front-page treatment on the Browns'’ website, as well as ongoing Twitter and Facebook campaigns by the team.


In an ESPN.com chat earlier Wednesday with Hillis and Vick, the Browns' running back said that he'’s not afraid of the “Madden Curse”. Several players have been injured or had down years in the season immediately after being on the game's cover -- including Vick, who suffered a broken leg before the 2003 season (Vick was on the cover of Madden NFL 2004, which was released in August of '03) and missed 11 of the Atlanta Falcons' games that year.

“For people to believe in this so-called curse, I can't wait to prove people wrong,” he said. “From what I believe and where I am in my spiritual life, it would be good to prove them wrong in that sense.”

Both Hillis and Vick said they regularly play the Madden game.

Vick, who was attempting to become the first player to appear on the Madden cover twice, also used the Internet to boost his candidacy as his official website redirected to the ESPN.com Madden vote. To advance to the final, Vick defeated Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware (No. 14 seed), Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson (No. 6 seed), San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis (No. 7) and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (No. 9).

In 2010, Hillis became the first Browns running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since 2008. He finished with 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns and became known for his battering-ram style, shedding tacklers with hard running.

In his ESPN.com chat, Hillis said he doesn’t think other running backs will try copying his style of running.

“When I play the game, I feel that I need to put it all into it,” he said. “I don't care if I play 2 or 5 years. I just want to put it all into it. I don't think players will pick that up, they want longevity.”

Vick was voted Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year last season after missing two seasons while serving a prison sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring and playing sparingly in 2009.

Vick led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and the NFC East title after replacing an injured Kevin Kolb after Week 1. Despite missing three games with an injury, Vick had his best season. He set career highs in yards passing (3,018), touchdowns passing (21), touchdowns rushing (9), completion percentage (62.6) and passer rating (100.2).
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BurningRiver

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This, right here, makes me happy.

People are going to say he didn't deserve it, but he was voted in fair and square. Plus it's just a video game cover, right? I must say though that it makes me ten times more likely to buy the game, just for the sake of having the box.

At least Cleveland wins this. Actually I take that back. A girl from Cleveland won the national spelling bee last year. Victory City, babyy
 
IHateMarkMay

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Did anybody else watch this? It really seemed as if Beadle really wanted him lol.
 
IrishLax

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People who rag on Hillis for not putting up "monster stats" are so wrong. The guy was a total stud in fantasy (an largely carried my team) until injuries + a loaded box slowed him down.

I voted for him.
 
NDPhilly

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bull****

My theory is that Vick won but EA sports didnt want to put him on cover because to many people wouldnt buy it
 
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NDIrishlover3

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I am not a Cleveland fan so I only watched him like maybe one time and did not hear about him on ESPN too much so I would say this is a really stupid pick to have on the cover. But I am ignorant to his skill level so my opinion really shouldn't matter in this case.
 
Rocket's Rocket Fan

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NDIrishlover3 said:
I am not a Cleveland fan so I only watched him like maybe one time and did not hear about him on ESPN too much so I would say this is a really stupid pick to have on the cover. But I am ignorant to his skill level so my opinion really shouldn't matter in this case.
Click to expand...

The Browns were not that good last year and ESPN hardly ever showed their highlights, but Hillis was the Browns whole offence. When he went down at the end of the season its had a direct effect on the how the Browns season ended. Here are some of his highlights from last year.

YouTube - Peyton Hillis 2010-2011 Season Highlights
 
WhoDeyIrish

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My only problem with Hillis being on the cover, besides the fact he plays for the Cleveland Clowns, is that he has only had one good year. He is a relatively unknown player to the normal fan and that's a problem. I do like the fact his an unknown somewhat gives somebody else a chance. For his one season he did deserve it. Other than that though he really has no body of work.
 
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Rocket's Rocket Fan said:
The Browns were not that good last year and ESPN hardly ever showed their highlights, but Hillis was the Browns whole offence. When he went down at the end of the season its had a direct effect on the how the Browns season ended. Here are some of his highlights from last year.

YouTube - Peyton Hillis 2010-2011 Season Highlights
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you say in your post but my viewpoint is more in line with WhoDeyIrish's post. He was a very good player last year and maybe the best player on the Browns but they are not a very good team and he has only shined for one season.
 
jason_h537

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The only time i hear people talk badly about Hillis is when people try to defend him in saying "people are gonna hate on him"
 
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BurningRiver

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He himself may not deserve to be on the cover due to his lack of sustained success, but it was a fair tournament and the Browns fans really showed up and voted him.

Don't hate that he got chosen, hate that they even had this voting-style decision in the first place.
 
nlroma1o

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Honestly, it is the cover of Madden 2012... he didnt just receive a Super Bowl ring even though his team didn't make the playoffs... So I say, Who gives a ****?
 
Ben E.

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what... their were no bungals in this years tourny for the madden cover??? lol!
 
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UPMich_NDfan

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A radio show host on Mad Dog Radio (XM/Sirius-I think it was Dino Costa) went head to head with EA on this, it actually got pretty nasty. Costa said he would never buy another EA game again and urged his listeners to do the same...simply because EA even considered putting a convicted felon on its cover. EA actually really went to bat for Vick and got in some heated exchanges over this with the station/host. So I don't think there was any conspiracy on EA's part in voting Hillis over Vick.
 
Rocket89

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Are there any known or important improvements to this year's Madden?

If not, this might be one of the lowest selling of the series. You just don't put Hillis on the cover and expect people to buy it. And I like the Browns.

Maybe Luol Deng can be on the cover of NBA 2K next year?
 
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