Welcome to our third annual report card for sports games cover stars, where legends are made, records are broken, careers are ruined, and curses continue. While it's certainly no small honor to wind up on the cover of a sports game, that honor only takes you so far. Here, we're interested in results, as in touchdowns, goals, championship trophies, and most importantly, celebrities dated. OK, not so much on the last one. And though football is three quarters done and basketball's only just begun, as sports fans, its our job to judge prematurely, so let's dive right in and start handing out grades...
Football
Madden NFL 07Shaun Alexander
| Year | Attempts | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
| 2005 | 370 | 1880 | 5.1 | 27 |
| 2006* | 148 | 515 | 3.5 | 3 |
Another Madden curse in the making? Alexander, practically brilliant beyond measure last season, fell victim to the injury bug in 2006. The former Alabama running back missed six games after breaking his left foot in a game against the New York Giants. Though his return coincides well with Seattle's second-half push to the playoffs, there's little doubt that all eyes will be on the Madden cover-star's numbers throughout the rest of the season. One thing's for sure: Without Shaun in the backfield, the 'Hawks are going nowhere.
Grade: B
Reggie Bush
| Year | Attempts | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
| 2005 | 200 | 1777 | 8.7 | 16 |
| 2006* | 119 | 368 | 3.1 | 4 |
Bush's entrance into the NFL should have been seamless. As one of the most prolific and dynamic college backs of the last decade, Bush was poised to become an instant superstar in the backfield of whichever team drafted him. Then New Orleans selected him in the draft, and Bush, while saying all the right things, acted like a guy who wasn't sure he wanted to be playing in the Big Easy. The word "holdout" was bandied about, and this in the midst of allegations that Bush's parents got a sweet (and improper) deal for a house while Bush was still at USC. Luckily, Bush has found a place behind a potential MVP in Drew Brees. Then there was his week 13 performance, where Bush managed to score four touchdowns with the division-leading Saints. It seems that, wherever he plays, Bush's winning ways continue.
Grade: B+
Bill Cowher
| Year | Wins | Losses |
| 2005 | 15 (including playoffs) | 5 |
| 2006* | 5 | 7 |
Dan Rooney's patience finally paid off in 2006. For 14 seasons, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers had remained amazingly loyal to his head coach Bill Cowher, sticking with him through thick (such as the 15-1 2004 season) and thin (three losing seasons, including a pair of 6-10 seasons in 1999 and 2003). But last season that loyalty was repaid, with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking their first Super Bowl win since 1979. In hindsight, it might have been best had Cowher not returned for another go, as the 2006 Steelers are struggling mightily. The loss of key offensive weapons like Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle-El, as well as unexpected struggles of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, has made Cowher's job that much more difficult. The Steelers probably aren't playoff bound this season, which means that Rooney's patience might be tested once again.
Grade:
Super Bowl XL: A
Rest of 2006: C-
Chad Johnson
| Year | Receptions | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
| 2005 | 97 | 1432 | 14.8 | 9 |
| 2006* | 72 | 1146 | 15.9 | 7 |
With the way he dresses, talks, and plays, Chad Johnson seems tailor-made to be in an EA video game. Sure, he's loud and outspoken, but he's not exactly dangerous. He's got a big mouth but enough skills to back it up (usually). And this year, he's got a bleach-blond mohawk to go with his gold-capped teeth. Call him the anti-T.O., and even if the game he appears on isn't anything special, there's no denying that CJ is one of the most fun receivers to watch in the game. Too bad, then, that the Bengals, who seemed primed for a Super Bowl appearance last year, haven't exactly lit up 2006.
Grade: B+
Lawrence Taylor
Bill Romanowski
Like him or not, Romanowski was probably an apt choice for the 'roid-fueled, over-the-top, violent football fantasy that is Midway's Blitz: The League for the Xbox 360. Romo, an admitted juicer, spent a good chunk of 2005 promoting his book and admitting to breaking the bones of other players more or less intentionally. By appearing on the cover of this lifeless port of Midway's football game, Romo does something practically nobody else could do: make his fellow cover star Lawrence Taylor look like a teddy bear in comparison.
Grade: D
Ben Roethlisberger
| Year | Attempts | Completions | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Rating |
| 2005 | 268 | 168 | 2385 | 17 | 9 | 98.6 |
| 2006* | 393 | 236 | 2952 | 15 | 20 | 74.9 |
What, you didn't see this one coming? After seemingly skipping his rookie year in 2004 to lead the Steelers to a 15-1 record, then proceeding to follow up the performance by bringing a Super Bowl to Steeltown, Big Ben was bound for a letdown in the 2006 season. It started behind the handlebars of a Suzuki Hayabusa just before the season began, as Roethlisberger landed himself in the hospital after a truly scary accident that some initially thought might cost him the season. He fought back, however, only to rack up multiple concussions on the playing field thanks to an offensive line that has developed more holes than a Pennsylvania coal mine. Oddly enough, if you take away the interceptions, Ben's having a great statistical year. With the Steelers struggling and no playoffs in sight, though, it might be best if Roethlisberger spent more time healing up and preparing for next year.
Grade: C-
* = Statistical year not complete
2006 Cover Athlete Report Card
Our third annual look at how this year's crop of cover athletes performed in the real sporting world.
199 Comments