As Drew Brees and the Saints ready themselves to compete in their first Superbowl, here in Carolina, and all over the country we are provided a unique opportunity.

I of course talk about having the ability to curse a player for the 2010 season, by way of choosing the player to be on the cover of EA Sports 'Madden 11'.

More after the jump

- DE Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings

- WR Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts

- QB Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints

It so happens that we as Panther fans have the unique opportunity to ensure Brees is voted onto the cover, thereby cursing him for the upcoming season. This seems like a lucky break, as the Saints will likely be the Panthers' major hurdle in the 2010 season.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

"James, don't be silly... there's no such thing as a Madden curse. It's made up by the media."

Or is it?

1999: Garrison Hearst of the San Francisco 49ers graces the cover. He had an excellent season, but broke his ankle in the divisional playoffs. An injury that took him two full years to recover from, prematurely ending his career.

2000: Barry Sanders. Sanders was the man of the hour... until he abruptly retired before the season began.

2001: Eddie George. Failed to rush for 1,000 yards, the Titans missed the playoffs going 7-9.

2002: Daunte Culpepper. Missed four games due to injury, finishing with only 1,300 passing yards and leading the Vikings to their worst season in 18 years.

2003: Marshall Faulk. Faulk rushed for 430 less yards, and had 4 less TDs than the previous year after appearing on the cover.

2004: Michael Vick. During the preseason Vick broke his leg and was lost for the year.

2005: Ray Lewis. Though his production didn't truly suffer, Lewis failed to record an INT for the first time in his career.

2006: Donavan McNabb. The curse was thought to be broken until McNabb sustained a hernia in week 9 and was lost for the rest of the season.

2007: Shaun Alexander. He was an RB on fire, no way could he be cursed. That was, until, he missed 6 regular season games with a broken foot. He totaled his lowest statistics since his rookie season.

2008: Vince Young. The rookie phenom had no number to go by... however his 9 TD and 17 INT were not impressive for the rookie QB.

2009: Brett Favre. Surely no curse could touch a man who retired... right? The cover was supposed to be an ode to one of the greats, until his preseason drama landed him with the NY Jets until his injured throwing arm haulting the Jets early season run.

2010: Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald. Trying to hedge their bets two athletes were put on the cover. Polamalu was injured early in the season and only managed to play in 5 games. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald's numbers slipped greatly. He still had over 1,000 yards, but was 17th in the NFL in yards, well down from his 4th ranking the year before.

So now, we sit with the opportunity to use the power of our collective computers to put those index fingers to the test and get Drew Brees on the cover of Madden 11... cursing him. Of course I don't want Brees to sustain any permanent or long lasting injury, but a significant drop in performance could be nice for the betterment of the Panthers' chances for 2010.

You can vote for Drew Brees here