Super Bowl combatants Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald face off helmet-to-helmet for "Madden NFL 10," the first time in the franchise's 21-year history that two players adorn the cover.

EA Sports' latest edition of the best-selling sports video game ever, with more than 65 million sold, won't be on store shelves until Aug. 14, but the announcement of the coverboys always arrives with fanfare -- and renews the lore of The Madden Curse.

There are sites and forums and blogs throughout the sports and gaming Webverse devoted to the "curse," that, like the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, can spell doom in the form of an injury or a career downturn.

"We're absolutely aware of it," said Rob Semsey. The senior public relations manager for EA Sports was talking by phone from New York, where Mr. Fitzgerald was meeting some members of the press and being bombarded with questions about the curse. Mr. Semsey is a Uniontown native and was excited about the players' Pittsburgh connections, with Mr. Polamalu representing the Steelers on defense and Mr. Fitzgerald, of Pitt and the Arizona Cardinals, representing his offensive foe for the game's main theme, "Fight for Every Yard."

Mr. Fitzgerald, who also appeared on the cover of the "NCAA Football 2005" game as a Pitt All-American, did not appear to be worried about his Madden cover appearance. "He said what an honor it is and the fact that he gets to share it with Troy is fantastic," Mr. Sempsey said.

-- Sharon Eberson, Post-Gazette staff writer