For the life of me, I have no idea what kind of recreational drugs are being consumed at the EA Sports facilities, but I can assure you that they're apparently being consumed in massive quantities.  How do I know this?

Apparently, the folks at EA have simmed an entire 2008 season with a couple of different scenarios.  Those scenarios involve which team Brett Favre would have been the starting quarterback for prior to his reinstatement by the league.  The simulations had Favre starting for four different teams. . .the Buccaneers, the Jets, the Packers and, of course, the Beloved Purple.  The results?  Hilarious, to say the least.

Those are the results with Brett Favre as the starting quarterback for each of those teams.  Note the Vikings' record of 10-6.  Note also the Packers' record of 9-7.

Got those in your head?  Good. . .now here are the records for those four teams without Brett Favre as their starting QB:

That's right, ladies and gentlemen.  While the Vikings go from being 10-6 to 5-11 without the presence of Brett Almighty on their roster, the Packers manage to throw two more touchdown passes and be three games better in the standings with Aaron Rodgers starting the entire season (which will never happen) than they are with Brett Favre behind center.

There is absolutely, positively no freaking way that the Minnesota Vikings are a 5-11 football team in 2008.  They're at least a 10-win team. . .and they're a 10-win team if they start Mahalia Jackson at quarterback, never mind the young and rapidly improving Tarvaris Jackson.  I can only assume that EA's 5-win scenario for the Vikings included injuries to Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, the entire offensive line, Jared Allen, E.J. Henderson, and both Williams brothers. . .because that's the ONLY scenario where the Vikings win less than 10 games, in my opinion.

Madden 2009 comes out on 12 August.  Is anyone out there adept at making the "customized" Madden covers and/or know somebody who is?  My desire to not buy the regular edition with Favre's picture on the cover is outweighed by my desire to not spend an extra $30-40 on the "Collector's Edition."  Yes, the playable version of the original Madden would be nice, but I'm sure I can get that on an emulator someplace.  But yes, if anyone knows anybody that's got that capability and could possibly design a kick-ass Sidney Rice Madden 2009 cover for your favorite Vikings blogger. . .and by that, I mean me. . .then pass their names along to me or leave something in the comment section.

That's all for tonight, everybody.  The pre-season opener is getting closer, it's getting close to time for fantasy drafts, and we're getting closer to some by-God FOOTBALL!  Enjoy what's left of Sunday night, and we'll be back here tomorrow for more Purple goodness.