Madden NFL 11: Vote for the Cover

In the past few years, the decision on who would end up on the cover of Madden has become an increasing spectacle. For Madden 08, Tennessee's quarterback Vince Young made the cover, only after rumors that San Diego Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson had turned down an offer to appear. For Madden NFL 09, it was former Packers great Brett Favre on the cover in his Green Bay uniform; never mind that Brett actually played the season in New York Jets green and white. For Madden 10, two players were featured on the cover for the first time, Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, an announcement that was unveiled in New York City's Times Square.

This year, things are changing once again, with fans getting the chance to vote for the cover of Madden NFL 11 in an EA Sports marketing tie-in with Doritos. Of course, fans can't go willy-nilly and just start a write-in campaign for Luke McCown; instead, EA has whittled down the list to three finalists (all of whom EA has likely come to tentative licensing agreements with beforehand): New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, and Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen.

You do realize there's exactly one correct answer here, right? Jared Allen is the only logical choice for four essential reasons:

1. He'd be the first defensive end on the cover of an English-language version of Madden.
2. 51 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 1 interception. Not a bad year.
3. He wears the number 69. On purpose.
4. His flowing mullet and flavor-saver beard absolutely demand to be immortalized for all eternity on the cover of a video game. Why not let that game be Madden 11?

So, you know, vote for whomever you want. Just know that a vote for Jared Allen is a vote for manhood.