EA Sports Debuts Madden '12 Cover Featuring Peyton Hillis

It's been just about a month since Peyton Hillis won the bracket style tournament to be featured on the next Madden cover. The guys at EA have been slaving over Photoshop since then, one would assume, and here is what they came up with. May I be the very first to present to you, the cover of Madden '12, featuring our very own Peyton Hillis.

Normally they just take a picture of a guy from a game and throw it on the cover, but it looks like they brought Hillis in for a photoshoot for this one. How else can you explain the eye contact he seems to be making with me no matter what angle I look at my computer screen. I think it makes it a little bit more creepy, but I'm ok with it I suppose. As long as we got the Hillis biceps, and we certainly have those.

There's also a nice shot of Cleveland to the right, and the stadium to the left. Good for them to get on the cover of a game like this, any little exposure helps. Now if we can just get this lockout lifted so that this videogame doesn't feature the only NFL football played this year, that would be a mighty big help.

Peyton Hillis Participated In Madden NFL 12 Photo Shoot

Peyton Hillis will be the next Madden cover boy as he was voted by the fans to grace Madden NFL 12 as the first Cleveland Browns player to ever be on the front of the most popular sports video game.

According to the USA Today's Game Hunters blog, Hillis says he hasn't "played too many video games in my life," but did play some Tecmo Bowl as a kid, and recalls Bo Jackson being his favorite player.

"He was dominant," says Hillis. "You couldn't stop him."

One will have to wonder how dominant Hillis will be considering he was a 10-seed heading into the fan voting and doesn't seem to possess the elusive speed and style that Jackson was known to bring to the television set.

All of that is exciting, sure, but with the NFL lockout currently returning and everyone being unsure of when the NFL regular season will actually begin (even the Madden NFL release date has been pushed back until Tuesday, August 30), more exciting was the opportunity to see Hillis perform football related activities on Monday during a photo shoot. And by football related activities, I actually mean watching Hillis swan dive onto a black mat as photographers took pictures of Cleveland's newest sports superstar (LeBron who?).

Along with those obviously awesome action shots, there was also an impressive video shot to remember the photo shoot and last, but not least, are a couple action shots from Madden itself via Worth Playing:

Peyton Hillis Delivers Top Ten List On David Letterman

2011 NFL Draft: Madden Football Coverboy Peyton Hillis To Announce Browns 1st Round Pick

Newly crowned Madden ’12 coverboy Peyton Hillis will be announced to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall tonight by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, then will announce the 1st Round pick of the Cleveland Browns, this according to Browns media relations.

Hillis won the fan-vote that decided who would be on the cover over Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, receiving 66% of the vote. The NFL Draft will cap a busy day for Hillis, who will take part in a photo shoot for the game, appear as a guest on Late Night with David Letterman Thursday night, and announce the Browns pick – the 6th pick – in Thursday’s first round.

While some are nervous that Hillis will fall victim to the infamous ‘Madden Curse’, the former Arkansas Razorback says he’s ready for the challenge.

“For people to believe in this so-called curse, I can’t wait to prove [them] wrong.” Keep on truckin’, Peyton!

Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote Recap

Here's a video recapping the entire Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote tournament, complete with video highlights of every player in the tourney, including the winner Peyton Hillis

http://bit.ly/ln90dA

Peyton Hillis To Appear On David Letterman Thursday Night

Newly crowned Madden coverboy Peyton Hillis will shoot the cover for the game in New York on Thursday before being a guest on Late Night with David Letterman tomorrow night, the beginning of what will likely be a whirlwind couple of weeks for the Cleveland Browns running back.

Hillis beat out Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick in the final of a fan tournament that started with 32 players – one from each team. Along the way Hillis beat the likes of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.

The Browns acquired Hillis – as a throw in – as part of the Brady Quinn trade with the Denver Broncos after the 2009 season. Hillis had fallen out of favor with then-Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. Hillis was a huge hit for the Browns, rushing for 1177 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Browns.

Peyton Hillis Wins Madden '12 Cover Vote

As chosen by you, the fans, Cleveland Brownsrunning back Peyton Hillis was officially named the cover man for the newest Madden 12 video game.

Hillis beat out Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Mike Vick, who was merely votes away from his second Madden cover, something that has only been accomplished by John Madden himself.

Hillis' improbable run ended with a sweet victory, not just for the Browns and their fans but in the long standing rivalry between the Broncos and Browns.

Many, many years the Broncos have dominated the Cleveland Browns, dating all the way back to the John Elway days. Last offseason, the Broncos dealt Hillis to the Browns along with draft picks for quarterback Brady Quinn.

So far, chalk that up as a big win for Mike Holmgren and the Browns.

Hillis burst onto the scene with a Pro Bowl caliber year in 2010 that has just been capped off with one of the highest honors in sports-a Madden cover.