Madden NFL 19 has a cover athlete … Panic accordingly

EA Sports has finally announced its cover athlete for the standard edition of “Madden NFL 19,” set to release on Aug. 10.

It’s Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown, a member of this year’s “Club 99” on the Madden release. Brown is the first Steeler to grace the Madden cover since Troy Polamalu split the cover with Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald on “Madden NFL 10.”

“The battle of getting better is never ending” –@AB84

Pre-Order 👉🏽: https://t.co/BkLnz185gQ #Madden19 pic.twitter.com/6dsoW5Zfgv

— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 18, 2018

The gamer in me speculates that there will be a heavy emphasis on ridiculous plays made by receivers on this year’s game with Brown on the Madden standard cover and Terrell Owens on the Hall of Fame edition. But it’s Madden, so that’s pretty much the expectation with every release.

It also means that Brown’s 2018 season will be subjected to constant fears of the Madden Curse.

Again, Aug. 10 is the release date for the standard edition. Hall of Fame edition happens on Aug. 7 with a preorder. PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows are the destinations.