Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

4/27/2011 at 3:55pm

Image by ESPN, Facebook.com

Peyton Hillis has a reputation for proving people wrong. Just look at the way he has emerged from late-round draft pick to one of the NFL’s most popular players.

Hillis, who enjoyed a breakout season in Cleveland last year, has become a star in the NFL, something that’s undeniable now that he’s on the cover of Madden ’12. Hillis was picked over Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick with nearly 13 million votes cast in the fans’ choice contest.

Who saw that coming for a guy who was a sixth-round draft pick in 2008?

Hillis now has his sights set on proving people wrong about something else. There is a “curse” associated with the Madden cover. Players who make the cover have endured serious injury and Hillis — like he’s done so often in his career — wants to break that trend.

Here’s what he said during an ESPN.com SportsNation chat:

“For people to believe in this so-called curse, I can't wait to prove people wrong. From what I believe and where I am in my spiritual life, it would be good to prove them wrong in that sense.”

Hillis ran for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns after playing two years in relative obscurity in Denver. He said in that same chat he hopes his story in an inspiration for others.

“… I put a lot of thought into this, the longer I've gone in the bracket. I think a lot of people think I'm not deserving of it or whatever, but it's a situation where it's the American dream. You can do something if you put your heart into it.”

Hillis has certainly done that. His path to the cover included victories by margins of 24 percent against Ray Rice, 2 percent against Matt Ryan, 20 percent against Jamal Charles and 22 percent against Green Bay quarterback/Super Bowl MPV Aaron Rodgers.

CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell tweets that the cover is typically worth $125,000 to the winner.

Tagged: Madden '12, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Peyton Hillis, Arkansas Razorbacks, Michael Vick