Posted by Will Brinson

Peyton Hillis overcame lots of odds to become a star running back in the NFL. He might have overcome MORE odds to become the cover athlete of Madden 12, in a shocking result that was revealed on live television.

Michael Vick stormed his way to the finals, while Hillis and the fans of Cleveland Browns grass-rooted their way to the finals of the first-ever competition that featured fan voting.

Hillis took the league by storm in 2010, rushing for 1,177 yards and getting in the end zone a total of 13 times.

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Of course, this may not do wonders for Hillis' value in fantasy football -- or for the Browns! -- if you believe in the Madden curse. Regardless, though, it's a fantastic story for a guy who flew under the radar out of Arkansas (behind Felix Jones and Darren McFadden) and was traded out of Denver for Brady Quinn.

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Posted by Will Brinson

The Madden 12 cover voting has moved on to another round, and now there are only four athletes remaining as possible jinx cover candidates.

Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis and Aaron Rodgers remain with two rounds of voting to be held. (You can vote on Facebook should you be so inclined.)

Vick, who defeated Patrick Willis last round, and Rodgers, who took out Danny Woodhead, are the biggest favorites to make the cover.

Hillis is the definition of a darkhorse, as before the season started, the idea of him gracing America's favorite football game seemed, well, it didn't seem like anything, because it wasn't even a possibility.

Peterson could certainly win, although it's interesting that he reportedly turned down a chance to appear on the cover previously.

If I've got to guess, based on popularity, I think that Vick ends up netting his second cover -- he was on as an Atlanta Falcon -- by squeaking past Rodgers in the final.

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