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New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees officially has been selected to grace the cover of the "Madden NFL 11" video game.

It’s a nice honor for a player from a small-market team. But history has shown it’s not always a good thing to be on the "Madden" cover. Let’s turn it over to our friends at ESPN Stats & Information for a look at what’s happened to the guys who have been on the "Madden" cover in the past.

• 2010, Troy Polamalu/Larry Fitzgerald: Polamalu only played five games due to knee injuries, Steelers missed playoffs; Fitzgerald wasn’t affected much (97 receptions, 1,092 yards, 13 TD, Pro Bowl).
• 2009, Brett Favre: Feuded with Packers, traded to Jets, horrible down the stretch (lost 4 of last 5).
• 2008, Vince Young: Missed 1 game with quad injury; led Titans to first playoff appearance in four years.
• 2007, Shaun Alexander: Fractured foot, missed six games; fewer yards and TDs in '06 AND '07 than in '04 OR '05.
• 2006, Donovan McNabb: Sports hernia in first game, missed seven games; feuded with Terrell Owens all year; had been to five straight Pro Bowls, hasn't been since.
• 2005, Ray Lewis: Broke wrist, missed one game; first season without interception; missed 10 games next year with thigh injury.
• 2004, Michael Vick: Fractured fibula one day after video game was released, missed 11 games; Pro Bowl next 2 seasons; obvious issues since then.
• 2003, Marshall Faulk: Ankle injury, missed two games, never rushed for 1,000 yards again.
• 2002, Daunte Culpepper: 4-7 record before season-ending knee injury.
• 2001, Eddie George: Career season, but fumbled in playoffs as top-seeded Titans lost first game to Ravens.
• 2000, Barry Sanders: Retired one week before training camp.

• Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman says he feels bad for Drew Brees because Brees has been overlooked the whole postseason. Aikman thinks Peyton Manning will wind up winning three Super Bowls and be in the conversation with the greatest ever.
• Former Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander says he's really pulling for the Saints in the Super Bowl. Alexander also talks about how the NFL is getting away from the running game and how Saints running back Reggie Bush is really just a role player.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Time for a quick look at some headlines across the NFC South:

SAINTS

Ten years after the fact, Paul Augustin Jr. looks back at how trading a slew of draft picks to get Ricky Williams impacted the Saints over the long haul. It's obvious Williams never became what the Saints hoped. It's hindsight, but Augustin makes a very good point when he says the Saints could have had a team that featured Shaun Alexander, Donald Driver, Jevon Kearse, Joey Porter and Brian Urlacher if they hadn't made the Williams deal.

BUCCANEERS

The Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, also owns Manchester United. Reportedly, the English soccer club lost almost $66 million last year.

FALCONS

They're probably locked into the Georgia Dome until at least 2015, but the Falcons are starting to explore some possibilities. Owner Arthur Blank said the priority is to get a new stadium downtown, but the Falcons also are doing their homework on several alternative locations.

PANTHERS

John DeLong offers a summary on the situation with Julius Peppers and speculates the defensive end will end up in New England or Philadelphia before all is said and done. I tend to agree.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Here's an update to our earlier report about the Saints releasing fullback Mike Karney. The Saints have just sent out a press release confirming Karney's release and the signing of Heath Evans as his replacement.

Evans

Evans, who previously played for New England, signed a two-year contract. Evans, who has been in the NFL for eight seasons, is viewed as more versatile than Karney. While Karney was known almost exclusively as a blocker, Evans has some rushing and receiving skills.

Evans has 157 career carries and has averaged 3.6 yards a carry. He also has 40 career receptions for 328 yards. With Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush as the main running backs, the Saints were lacking a short-yardage runner. Evans could help fill that void, although the Saints still could be on the market for a bigger tailback.

"Heath is a versatile and fundamentally sound fullback who can help our offense in a variety of roles, whether it be as a lead blocker, as a runner or receiving option out of the backfield as well as on special teams,” Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis said. "He has played in a few different offensive systems and has adapted quickly and been a contributor to all of them.”

Before joining the Patriots, Evans was the lead blocker for Seattle's Shaun Alexander for four straight 1,000 yard seasons.

"Heath is a tireless worker and someone we were very impressed with after spending time with him,” coach Sean Payton said, "He's very excited about the various things we do from an offensive perspective and is a well-rounded and versatile player. In addition, he has played quite a bit on various special-teams units throughout his career and been a reliable and dependable player in many different situations.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

I've got another full mailbag, so we'll break it out into one edition for each team. I'll start with the New Orleans Saints and have the others up in a bit.

Joe in New York writes: Do the saints have a shot at the playoffs?

Pat Yasinskas: They've got a shot, mathematically. But they have to run the table or at least win four of their last five games. Is it possible. Sure, if they play like they did Monday night. I've been waiting for the Saints to click all season. Not sure if that's what's happening now and not sure they can overtake Tampa Bay, Carolina and Atlanta (not to mention the other NFC teams ahead of them in the wild-card picture). But, at the moment, they've got a shot and we all know they have a ton of offensive talent.

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mikey in logue writes: hey pat huge fan of yours here and the saints i was wondering if the saints are talking to shaun alexander again being that deuce might be suspended and they need a power back i know they signed mike bell but they seemed intrested before he signed with washington!?!?

Pat Yasinskas: Also getting this question from a lot of other New Orleans fans. In theory, you would think Shaun Alexander would make perfect sense. But I think this would have happened already if Alexander was anything close to the guy we all remember from his days in Seattle. Got to assume the Saints think he's the same guy (or less) than Deuce McAllister in his present state. That said, if McAllister does get suspended, I would think Alexander would have to be a guy they at least consider. There just isn't much else out there this time of year.