The intermittent talking surrounding the NFL lockout has gotten as stale lately as the crabbed 2011 NFL offseason, with its rumors and rumors of rumors, but some genuine news has broken about a possible end to the freeze—the two sides have canceled a mediation in favor of some upcoming settlement talks. This is great news, even if both "great" and "news" are only relative by now; the St. Louis Rams might be back to entice and mildly disappoint you in time for Week One!

This is how the proper reaction to news of this change goes: Begin with an "Oh, again?" face when you see the news that they canceled mediation talks; end with a cautious-optimism face when you see what they were canceled in favor of. There's no clear end in sight to the NFL lockout, but with the end of the offseason clearly visible the two sides have a new incentive to get together with some final, realistic goals in sight. Here's hoping they can take that feeling of desperation to the negotiation table!