Seahawks CB Richard Sherman wins Madden NFL 15 cover vote

Richard Sherman's exceptional year just got a little bit better. (Elaine Thompson/AP) It's been a pretty decent year for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard

Doug Farrar | Jun 6, 2014

Seahawks CB Richard Sherman wins Madden NFL 15 cover vote /

Richard Sherman's exceptional year just got a little bit better. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

It's been a pretty decent year for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. He led the NFL in interceptions with eight in 2013, became Pro Football Focus' highest-rated cornerback by allowing a ridiculous 47.3 opposing passer rating, was an absolute shutdown corner in the postseason that led to Seattle's first Super Bowl title. He attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner, hung out with President Obama a bit, got re-acquainted with the Prez when the Seahawks were honored at the White House for their NFL title, and signed a $57.4 million contract extension. All in all, not bad for a fifth-round pick in 2011 out of Stanford who used to play receiver.

And now, to cap it all off, Sherman beat Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the final of the Madden NFL 15 cover vote, which will put him in front of the biggest sports video game. There were about 10 million votes in total, and about 650,000 per matchup. Sherman beat Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Newton to earn the Madden crown.

“Richard Sherman is a fantastic cover athlete selection by the fans,” said Anthony Stevenson, Vice President of Global Marketing for EA SPORTS in a statement. “Defense is a big focus for Madden NFL 15, and Sherman is one of the brightest defensive stars in the NFL. He shares the same energy and passion for the game as our ‘legion’ of Madden fans.”

The game premiered as John Madden Football in 1988, and Madden, the former Oakland Raiders head coach and longtime broadcaster, was the cover man for the first 14 years, either by himself or with players of the era in the background. Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was the first player to get the cover by himself 2000, and over the years, Sherman is the third defensive player to attain that honor -- Ray Lewis had it in 2004, and Troy Polamalu in 2009.

Sherman will have to hope the Madden Curse, so named for the travails that frequently follow the cover stars, will pass him by. But with the year he's had, Sherman could be forgiven for believing all the luck is on his side.

Published Jun 6, 2014

DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009, Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.