With Madden 2009 coming out in less than a week, it’s hard for me to focus on work, my social life, or really anything at the moment. Truth be told, I’m just counting down to that day, because it’s the new Christmas in my book, and has been for years now.

This year the cover is graced by Brett Favre, who was thought to be retired (EA was the only silly idiots to fall for this ploy), so there couldn’t be much of a “Madden Curse,” unless it involved a serious injury doing yard work or maybe a head-on car collision.

Just today, though, I thought to myself: If Madden comes back, and it looks like he’s going to, could the out-of-retire legend be one of the many to suffer the Madden Curse?

If he goes to Tampa Bay, as it looks like he will, my guess is yes. I feel the team was pretty lucky to get to the playoffs last year, and it wasn’t so much a statement of their greatness as it was an echoing resoundment of how bad the NFC South was.

My question: Is getting Brett Favre, someone who’s notorious for drive ending interceptions, really the answer to the Bucs question? Jeff Garcia wasn’t bad, and is getting someone who’s had one good year in the last four really going to solve all their problems?

Word to Brett, who often griped at Green Bay because of their talent: The Bucs don’t have much on offense. They’ve got a running back who will never be full strength again, a wide receiver that’s a hundred, and an offensive line that, quite frankly, has stunk over the last three years.

Tampa Bay, enjoy the pill you may be acquiring. You’ll be dealing with it for a while, even if you do think he’s going to retire.