If you’ve watched ESPN at all this offseason, you’d think the regular season was about three weeks away. During the months leading up to the draft their coverage was excessive, even to the biggest draftnik. Now mini-camps are upon us, bringing hyperbole-filled reports from a crew of b-level NFL “analysts,” Merril Hodge barking out nonsense and staged on-air fights between John “Mr. Garrison” Clayton and Sean “Remember Me?” Salsbury.

Apparently needing a little something to fill up space on that NFL page, CBS Sportsline has joined in the fun by releasing their power rankings three and a half months before the season begins. We’re not so sure if it’s fair to begin trying to do such a thing when new coaches have barely begun to implement their systems and rookies and free agents have only stepped on the field in shorts, but we digress. What we will say is that fans of both the Vikes and the Pack probably won’t agree with this much - particularly Vikings fans, who have made Braveheart-esque “victory shall be ours” Super Bowl predictions an annual pre-season routine.

Guaranteed to be not even close

We’ll be looking for NFL coverage about two and a half months from now. Until then, the only thing we’re interested in hearing from any major media outlets’ football guys is breaking news or a reference to “you’re with me, leather.”