There is NO madden curse. Sure, Vince Young got injured a couple times during the season, but nothing major enough to stopp him from playing. Besides, what do you expect when you play one of the roughest sports in the world? Everyone gets injuries in the NFL.
As for Favre on the cover, i dont really think it should be him if he isn't even going to be in the game. He's one of my favorite players ever, but i think the Madden cover should focus on up and coming athletes in the league instead of past players.