Here it is, what we've all been waiting for, the cover of Madden NFL 13. While it's been about two weeks since Calvin Johnson was revealed as the winner of the 64-player tournament (that was decided by the fans), it is only today that we finally see what the Detroit Lions wide out looks like behind EA Sports' logo.

EA Sports is once again continuing their paint splatter aesthetic that they first employed with Madden 10 and have continued to use, up through the Drew Brees and Peyton Hillis covers. This year, though, Johnson is joined by Ford Field to add a little hometown love to the mix.

Another little juicy tidbit about the cover is the "Better with Kinect" moniker emblazoned on the top. Though not much mention has been made about Kinect support it appears that it will be featured in Madden 13 in some capacity. With Tiger Woods 13 using Kinect and FIFA 13 supporting Move it feels like 2013 is the year that EA Sports started delivering some more interactive experiences.

Madden NFL 13 Cover Official

Fear not Madden faithful, EA Sports has already detailed several key changes (both on offense and defense) that are coming to their annual franchise, a lot of which will make fans extremely happy. By that same token it will make Calvin Johnson, who may not have the greatest NFL season, pretty happy because the psychic cornerbacks have gone the way of the dodo bird. This is going to be the first Madden when things don't just automatically happen because that's how football works, they happen because the opponent AI saw it.

Big changes might be going on under the hood of Madden NFL 13, but for now it's all about the glorious cover. Despite the Madden curse rearing its ugly head every time a new athlete makes it onto the cover, it truly is an honor for any athlete to get their image onto retail shelves. Cheers to Calvin Johnson on this great honor.

What do you think of the Madden NFL 13 cover? Are you more excited for the new features coming to the series or just to get your hands on the game?

Madden NFL 13 should be releasing in August for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Source: Madden 13 Facebook