After over 13 million votes during a five-week period, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis was voted as the Madden 12 cover athlete, beating out Eagles quarterback Michael Vick with 66 percent of the vote. Vick made it to the finals after beating out DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys, Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
"I think it's great for Peyton," said Vick on ESPN's SportsNation, gracious in defeat. "It goes to show that he has a broad fan base. People admire what he does, he takes pride in what he does and he's very deserving.
"I made it this far, that's a big plus for me."
The last time an Eagle was on the cover of Madden was Madden 06, when Donovan McNabb graced the cover. Vick adorned the front of Madden 04, back when he was the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. He would have been the first two-time Madden cover athlete.
On the eve of the NFL Draft, Vick was also asked about his hopes for the team's draft. Like many fans, his eyes are on the secondary.
"Hopefully we can go out and get maybe a cornerback to complement Asante. I think if you put two good cornerbacks on each side, it makes it tough on opposing teams," he said. "I think we're pretty stacked on offense."
Last 10 Players On Madden Cover
Madden 02 - Daunte Culpepper
Madden 03 - Marshall Faulk
Madden 04 - Michael Vick
Madden 05 - Ray Lewis
Madden 06 - Donovan McNabb
Madden 07 - Shaun Alexander
Madden 08 - Vince Young
Madden 09 - Brett Favre
Madden 10 - Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu
Madden 11 - Drew Brees
