The announcement of the Madden cover athlete has become an important tradition among diehards. This year, EA is putting together even more of a spectacle than they have in years past, drawing out the reveal over the course of the next few weeks. During that time, a total of nine possible candidates will be unveiled. The first four are... well, sort of interesting.

Madden 10 is claiming these players are the kinds of athletes who "fight for every yard." While I'm not one to disagree with the competitiveness of all four of the potential curse bearers above, only two of them really stand out as true game changers worthy of being the man you'll associate with your football gaming for the next year: Ed Reed and Adrian Peterson.

Ed Reed is quite simply one of the most dominant defensive players today, let alone one of the most feared safetys in the game. Reed has truly taken "ball-hawking" to a new level, and a player of his caliber is rarely seen more than once a generation. Even though his career should continue for another half-dozen or so years, the Baltimore defensive back is on a path to join Ronnie Lott and Rod Woodson as the only safetys from the last thirty years to earn a bust in Canton.

What is there to say about Adrian Peterson that hasn't been said already? One of the most electric running backs to arrive in the last few years, the man has the potential to turn every run into a highlight reel play. Even though being an NFL running back means your career may not be as long as another position player's the man has shown a determination to earn each and every inch of turf he tears up. You don't set the single-game record for rushing yards by being a push-over.

I'm curious who the next five nominees are, as right now this is nothing more than a two horse race. Unless the next five guys absolutely blow me away, I'm placing bets on Reed and Peterson to make the grade. What are your thoughts?

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