sports
Favre Traded, But Madden's Cover Remains The Same
Posted by Luke Plunkett at 5:30 PM on August 7, 2008
Hey, sports fans! We know you read Kotaku. Or, at least, some of you care about sports. Maybe even care about Madden. So you'll find this of interest: with the Packers QB being traded to the Jets today, it leaves EA in a pickle. They'd put him on the cover of Madden 09 in a Packers uniform, convinced - like everybody else - that he'd stay retired. So with Favre now due to suit up (or at least hold a clipboard) for NY this season, what are EA going to do with the cover? The game's not out yet, they can mock up a new, Jets-branded image, right? Nope. They're just going to leave it, a testament to a time when Brett Favre was going to be remembered as a future Hall of Fame QB, and not the meddling star of a modern-day sports soap opera.
Brett Favre Traded To Jets [IGN]

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K-Squad! (Badass Edition)
Posted 6:01 PM 7/8/08
Who's Brett Favre?
K-Squad! (Badass Edition)
YellowEggs
Posted 5:55 PM 7/8/08
Dammit...I'm working the midnight release on Monday night...I'm never going to hear the end of it.
YellowEggs
Mr.Sad
Posted 5:53 PM 7/8/08
i was also looking forward to entice him out of retirement in the game,
but seeing how he is like, i think i would gladly still entice him, but use him as my waterboy
Mr.Sad
Mr.Sad
Posted 5:51 PM 7/8/08
its times like these that i wish the curse were real
he's such a selfish twit.
all this hoo har cos he wants things his way and nobody asked him to be so indecisive in the first place
Mr.Sad
Elly
Posted 5:46 PM 7/8/08
It's the curse that keeps on giving. Seriously, it's starting to freak me out.
Elly
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 5:42 PM 7/8/08
@NeVeRMoRe666: Whoops! Terribly sorry about the double post. I thought my computer screwed up and the first didn't go through. My BAD!
NeVeRMoRe666
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 5:41 PM 7/8/08
@Shoemaster: For all intents and purposes, it seems to me that the Madden curse has already struck. Favre went from being one of the NFL's most beloved players to one of the most hated in less than a span of four months (right about the time the cover came out). Its sad to think that his legacy will end with the abysmal J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS..
No one's safe, not even the retirees...
NeVeRMoRe666
BoringJob
Posted 5:40 PM 7/8/08
So day 1 roster update?
BoringJob
klew
Posted 5:40 PM 7/8/08
I guess Favre in a Jets uniform is a perfect opportunity for a microtransaction.
klew
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 5:37 PM 7/8/08
@Shoemaster: The Madden's curse has already struck. Favre went from one of the NFL's most beloved QBs to one of the most hated players in less than a span of 4 months (right about the time of the covers announcement). Sadly, the abysmal J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS will be the end of his legacy..
NeVeRMoRe666
Stick34
Posted 5:35 PM 7/8/08
That's because Madden went gold 2 months ago, they can't change it.
Stick34
Shoemaster
Posted 5:33 PM 7/8/08
Madden curse is gonna hit him extremely hard. Nobody likes him and he'll probably go back to his 2:1 int to TD ratio.
Shoemaster
jollydwarf
Posted 6:30 PM 7/8/08
Watch them start pressing the game with a new cover after the first run sells out, showing up online and in retail by mid-September. Just you watch.
jollydwarf
Alex_Mexico
Posted 6:13 PM 7/8/08
@K-Squad! (Badass Edition): I guess a player of THE real manly sport that is Rugby.
I kid, I kid.
Alex_Mexico
kingofallcosmos
Posted 6:40 PM 7/8/08
The sad part of this whole situation is that Green Bay fans (the ones in Green Bay) are some of the nicest fans in the NFL and they have been completely crapped on by their legend. When the rest of us were saying that he was too old and made too many careless mistakes because he was forcing the ball, they stuck by him. Then last year he has one of the best years of his career and decides to hang up the cleats, going out on a high note. Oh, and then he spends the next few months dicking his team around, playing the fans for sympathy, demanding a trade to their biggest rivals, and ruining his legacy with all but the most diehard Favre fans. To say that Brett has fallen out of favre, oops I mean favor, would be an understatement.
As a Broncos fan, I can't imagine how devastated I would have been if John Elway had unretired and demanded a trade to the Raiders or to be released, forcing the team to make the unpopular decision to ship him off to some awful NFC team. I can tell you that my cat probably wouldn't be named Elway right now.
kingofallcosmos
Dirk Dorkelson
Posted 6:39 PM 7/8/08
@NeVeRMoRe666: That's not the Madden curse. That's the vanity curse. And Favre isn't the first pro athlete it's hit.
Dirk Dorkelson
bigmil87
Posted 7:20 PM 7/8/08
@YouArnottTheFather: Ok honestly, he played a few plays for the Falcons, I have a picture called passing through the years on my wall, I realize he played for them, however it barely was meaningful.
bigmil87
Muisee
Posted 7:11 PM 7/8/08
@ThatsMrOffDutyNinja:
They were going to pay him two mill a year for ten years to stay retired, not to back-up Rodgers. He signed a contract, you cannot pay a player whatever you like.
Either way, Rodgers doesn't produce this coming year a few heads will roll in Green Bay, namely Rodgers and TT.
Muisee
YouArnottTheFather
Posted 7:03 PM 7/8/08
@bigmil87: [assets.espn.go.com]
YouArnottTheFather
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 7:02 PM 7/8/08
@kingofallcosmos: Guess you didn't hear the part that they were going to pay him $2 Mil. to be a back up to the other guy meh? That is when a lot of the fans were like WTF?!?!?! And to tell a legend him will be back up to his old backup? Come on dude get your facts straight here. Either way it is all messed up.
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Muisee
Posted 7:01 PM 7/8/08
Huge news in the world of sports. It is surreal being a Packer fan at the moment. For people that do not know how large this is, this is like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and God of War all being released as X360 exclusives.
Anyway, back on-topic, I think they should stop production and change the uniform. That would make the games already in stores collectors items, and the new box art actually correct, everyone will be happy.
Muisee
bigmil87
Posted 6:57 PM 7/8/08
Speaking for myself only, I am a huge Favre fan and Packer fan. Brett has been my idol my whole life, I truely appreciated the fact that he stayed with one team for his whole career, I thought he was unlike any other player in the NFL.
With him retiring came disappointment, I thought he would come back and take the Pack back to teh Super Bowl, but alas, that shall not be happening now. I have to say I think the Pack made a huge mistake regardless of his actions or what he said. A conditional 4th round pick...ouch.
In any case, he should and most likely will be remembered as a Packer when he retires again so I would not like to see this cover any different.
bigmil87
KingBroly
Posted 7:43 PM 7/8/08
So EA will just have a title update for rosters after 2 weeks into the season, right?
KingBroly
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 7:30 PM 7/8/08
@Dirk Dorkelson: Too true, too true, it reminds me of the whole MJ debacle all over again. I wish I could say they did it for for the love of the game but...
As a life long football fan and one who has idolized Favre since his Superbowl days, this whole thing makes me sick to my stomach. Lets stop talking about it...please?
NeVeRMoRe666
jello44
Posted 7:26 PM 7/8/08
@kingofallcosmos:
Oh god, Elway in a Raiders uniform? Just thinking about that makes me want to puke. Even though I do live in Philly, I was always a Broncos fan growing up, and finally seeing him get that Super Bowl win was amazing.
And I really hope this is the last time we hear about Favre, it's really starting to get ridiculous. He's a god damn drama queen, there was no reason for him to drag the Packers around like he did, other than to be a cam whore.
jello44
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 8:04 PM 7/8/08
@Muisee: Yeah I'm with you I see heads rolling, Rodgers is going to get booed nasty style.
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
CheechWizz
Posted 7:50 PM 7/8/08
Ah yes, pro-sports. The original reason for flame wars.
CheechWizz
KennyLanzJr
Posted 8:24 PM 7/8/08
"Convinced like everybody else that he would stay retired..." lol you guys dont watch much sports.
KennyLanzJr
The Magnificen7
Posted 8:44 PM 7/8/08
@Alex_Mexico: Ahh, rugby. The only sport that involves more male on male clutching, grabbing and other questionable motions than football. So manly.
The Magnificen7
pinoyunggoy
Posted 8:44 PM 7/8/08
I hope the Madden curse doesn't affect Favre during the season...12th round fantasy pick FTW!
pinoyunggoy
The Magnificen7
Posted 8:40 PM 7/8/08
@KennyLanzJr: Hey, I was convinced for the same amount of time the EA guys were. TEARS MEAN GONE FOREVER. Just kidding. But I'm a Cowboys fan, so fuck Green Bay and the Jets.
The Magnificen7
ananag
Posted 9:18 PM 7/8/08
J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!
ananag
TheUncleBob
Posted 9:33 PM 7/8/08
[www.thecoverproject.net]
TheUncleBob
ronaldhennessy
Posted 10:15 PM 7/8/08
Someone will make a fan mock up of Farve in the Jets jersey. Believe it.
ronaldhennessy
TRT-X
Posted 10:06 PM 7/8/08
@jollydwarf: "New Limited Edition Brett Favre as a Packer Verison" $79.99.
Comes with:
1. Madden '09
2. Brett as a Packer
...
Uh...BUY IT!
TRT-X
NoMoMoJo
Posted 9:57 PM 7/8/08
Like many here have stated, I would hope that a roster update is already in the works for Madden 09's release. Otherwise, I would feel quite sorry for all those Jet fan gamers out there who have to struggle through their season with Pennington at the helm.
NoMoMoJo
MSUSteve
Posted 10:30 PM 7/8/08
That's really the only move available to EA right now anyway, I'm sure. I wouldn't be surprised if some stores have already received Madden 09 and are just sitting on it until Tuesday. EA's surely not going to recall all of those to reprint new covers.
MSUSteve
akilshohen
Posted 11:05 PM 7/8/08
He just did what Micheal Jordan did to his legacy....stain it.
akilshohen
KaneRobot
Posted 10:55 PM 7/8/08
@Quicksilver4648: Wow, the game's not even out yet and its outdated.
Still, it's nothing compared to how badly outdated the Smackdown vs. Raw rosters are every time one of those games show up.
KaneRobot
rainofwalrus
Posted 10:55 PM 7/8/08
this is almost as bad as Marcus Allen going to KC. *almost*
rainofwalrus
KidU
Posted 10:52 PM 7/8/08
"So with Favre now due to suit up (or at least hold a clipboard) for NY this season..."
There will be no clipboard holding Luke. The Jets are releasing their old QB, Chad Pennington, and any NFL that gives up a 3rd-2nd round pick in a trade like this damn well will start the guy.
KidU
Quicksilver4648
Posted 10:48 PM 7/8/08
Wow, the game's not even out yet and its outdated.
Quicksilver4648
Paradyme
Posted 11:23 PM 7/8/08
I'm confused so he retired only to come out of retirement, what, 6 months later? Retirement these days has a whole new meaning.
Paradyme
M.A.S.
Posted 11:16 PM 7/8/08
@Muisee: I disagree. Rodgers has been paid handsomely for sitting on the bench the last four seasons. His contract is coming up and he can negotiate another nice one. He is essentially coming into this thing as a rookie and you have to give him at least three years to get a feel for his team and vis versa.
M.A.S.
BelgianBadger
Posted 12:10 AM 8/8/08
A great many people thought to be Packer fans have revealed their colors this summer. They've declared themselves to be Favre fans 1st, Packer fans 2nd. They went down to the practice field the other day and booed the whole team, and chanting Bring Back Brett and Fire [Packers GM] Ted Thompson. They forget that Favre has been pleading for his release to go play for the Vikings all summer. They forget that Coach McCarthy spent 5 hours Monday night and another 3 Tuesday morning trying to come to some kind of arrangement so Favre could compete with Rodgers for his old job. And they forget that Thompson was the one that built this team (All but a dozen players were either drafted or signed by him) which went 13-3 last year. But oh yea, can his ass, he has no idea what he's doing.
Fact of the matter is, the reason Brett had such a great year last year was not because he played at a higher level then usual, rather the team around him got way better. He didn't often feel the need to take the game into his own hands (with the exception of the Dallas and Giant games, which, curiously, the Packers both lost). My point is, it's in the best interests of the team. I was and always will be a son of Wisconsin and a die-hard Packer fan, and the team-first ideals we were introduced to by Coach Lombardi are not lost on me. So Packer fans can either sit in the mud and cry about Brett, or they can think about how strong their young team is and look with hopeful eyes to the future.
BelgianBadger
sn1per420
Posted 12:08 AM 8/8/08
@Paradyme: If you watched sports, this wouldn't surprise you at all, especially after Roger Clemens retired what, 3 times before staying retired? (And that was only cause he got caught up in the steroid scandal, so no one will take him back anymore.)
sn1per420
zgrowler2
Posted 12:35 AM 8/8/08
@KaneRobot: AMEN. In addition to having a pitifully smaller roster every year, there's always ten people who shouldn't be on the roster anymore and twelve who were left out because the roster was finalized way too early.
That, along with about 25 other reasons, is why I switched to Fire Pro.
zgrowler2
cametall
Posted 1:07 AM 8/8/08
People actually thought he'd stay retired?
cametall
kingofallcosmos
Posted 1:06 AM 8/8/08
They are expecting Rodgers to perform well, but they don't expect him to surpass Favre this season. They have structured the team around Rodgers, keeping in mind how young the team is overall, and over the next few seasons they should really come together. If Brett wasn't just thinking about himself, he would have come forward before the draft. I believe that it was a mistake for Green Bay to draft two QBs, whether Brett was going to be there or not, because that also undermines their new QB.
Unlike the last couple of seasons, no one was pressuring Brett to retire, given how well he did last season. He chose to retire, wavered, chose to stay retired, wavered, and then became a cancer on the organization, purely to serve his needs. He doesn't care about the fans, otherwise he would not have retired or at the least he wouldn't have demanded a trade to their greatest rival. This is all for him.
@KaneRobot:
I love the Smackdown vs Raw games, but it really is like stepping in a time machine when I play them. "Oh yeah, I remember when this guy was in the WWE and when these guys were a tag team and when this guy had this gimmick." It was especially creepy to see Eddie Guerrero in tons of stories after his death and I am still disturbed when I see storylines with Chris Benoit. The worst is not having the new talent. I would hope that with future games, they can at least offer CAW options as downloadable content, for a fee of course.
kingofallcosmos
robokasey
Posted 1:55 AM 8/8/08
Brett Favre got screwed by Green Bay. All they had to do when he wanted back was say "Awesome, welcome back Brett. Rodgers grab his luggage"
robokasey
doubtful
Posted 1:55 AM 8/8/08
When you're a Jet, you're a Jet for life. Well, unless you're Chad Pennington.
doubtful
runandgun
Posted 1:55 AM 8/8/08
The Madden Curse rivals the Defence Against the Dark Arts Curse
runandgun
discoron77
Posted 2:38 AM 8/8/08
Even Brett Favre real life idiotic drama is as boring as "reality shows". STOP MAKING THEM!!!
discoron77
rdldr1
Posted 3:12 AM 8/8/08
Madden shouldn't have put Favre on the cover in the first place. The Madden curse will continue.
rdldr1
tlozwarlock
Posted 4:24 AM 8/8/08
Aaron Rodgers must be one heck of a QB...
Favre was overrated in the first place. Sure, I'm a bit bitter my Falcons, always stupid in their trades and drafts, traded him away for crap players so many years ago. At least now Brett will know mediocrity like all the rest of the NFL QBs that get less attention than he has.
tlozwarlock
Jonaconda
Posted 4:06 AM 8/8/08
I can't help but suspect Favre's homelife is straight of out Dennis Quaid's QB character in "Any Given Sunday." Where he's trying to sheepishly ask his wife about retirement and Lauren Holly starts screaming "You are a football player!" because she doesn't want to retire from being an NFL wife.
Jordan didn't tarnish his image by suiting up in a Wizards uniform. He was in their front office at the time, and clearly did it to generate media and fan interest in what, at the time, was a pretty dogshit basketball club. That was a farewell promotional tour, and I was glad I got to cheer him on one last time in person.
Jonaconda
Jonaconda
Posted 5:11 AM 8/8/08
It's not necessarily that Rodgers is a great QB as it is Packers brass being sick of Favre's perpetual summer "will he or won't he" jerkoff antics.
Having the cornerstone of your franchise being questionable during these past few summers has certainly caused a lot of turmoil and anxiety among everyone from fans, coaches, active players, and certainly the management.
Then he finally pulled the trigger, and they decided to move forward, naturally. It's difficult to reverse a lot of the decisions made once they've been set in motion, as I'm sure a "Favre contingency plan" had been formulated years ago in the event he'd hang up his spurs.
What's really ridiculous is how the Favre camp has leaked every detail of what should be confidential negotiations to his media cronies, trying to smear the Packers' front office. I'm a fan of his, but this is dirty, and there is a huge disconnect between ESPN's masturbatory idol worship and the average man on the street viewing him as a whiner.
We'll see what happens, I prefer the NBA over the NFL to begin with, but you can't work in America without staying up on this stuff as a conversation point with coworkers/clients.
Jonaconda
Muisee
Posted 11:08 AM 8/8/08
Three years under his belt I mean, ah why isn't there an edit button!
Muisee
Muisee
Posted 11:07 AM 8/8/08
It is also his third year, not fourth and he has one year left on his contract, and you can always place the tag on him next year. No, the Packers will not have to pay him big money unless he shows he can produce, simple as that.
Muisee
Muisee
Posted 11:03 AM 8/8/08
@M.A.S.:
Three years when you already have three years in the system? No, that will never happen, if he was a rookie then yes, but that simply does not happen in the NFL. Six year grace periods do not happen anywhere.
Muisee
AllegraEchemus
Posted 6:59 AM 8/8/08
The new Madden 09 Replacement covers are now available and can be found here: PS3 Version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/willeekinz/2742510646/sizes/o/ XBOX 360 Version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/willeekinz/2741674217/sizes/o/ Thanks for everything Brett we will miss you!
AllegraEchemus
HannibalKing
Posted 5:13 AM 8/8/08
Jets still probably won't make the playoffs.
HannibalKing
drock214
Posted 9:39 PM 7/8/08
Truth be told, I am looking forward to two Favre vs Brady match ups this season.
drock214
TracknFieldSpoonKing
Posted 9:14 PM 7/8/08
Damn a Brett Favre....If you really want to test rather the Madden curse is real or not put O.J Simpson on the cover. His life is so F'd it might work in reverse!
TracknFieldSpoonKing
eyeshield
Posted 7:13 PM 7/8/08
Thats good, the cover should have Favre in a packers uniform. The brett we know and love was the one that played for the packers. I believe that Favre should have just sucked it up and stayed retired, he has made quite a mess and is losing alot of respect.
As for the cover itself, I dont play madden, too boring for me. But I do care about what team he represents.
eyeshield
maravi
Posted 6:52 PM 7/8/08
@kingofallcosmos: Not that I side with Favre on any of this (I don't), but are you really going to rip on Favre for being a cry-baby and in the same sentence talk about your cat being named Elway.
"With the first pick, the Colts select QB John Elway!"
"But... I don't wanna! Wah!"
"This just in... the Colts have been forced to trade Elway to the Broncos."
Uh huh.
maravi
shockwave219
Posted 5:43 PM 7/8/08
To me it just sounds like EA not wanting to spend more money on a photoshoot and redesign. I say photoshop :) Maybe add a moustache and missing teeth.
shockwave219
freespeech2
Posted 10:52 PM 12/8/08
i like how the media was saying that the packers were idiots for letting him go, ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????? why would they want to keep an A$$ like that?????? good riddance to bad rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
freespeech2