Forget all this baseball garbage. It’s almost time for it to be close to being a month away from the start of the next National Football League season! Hooray!

The doldrums of summer sports are almost over, as we can finally start thinking about the pigskin. Will the Vikings improve under the second year of Brad Childress? I’d say no. With what is essentially a rookie at quarterback, most of the offense that struggled last year will run through another rookie in Adrian Peterson. And the defense that helped save games last season lost its coordinator when Mike Tomlin joined the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But who cares about the woeful Vikes anyway? There are bigger things brewing in football country USA – Green Bay, Wis.

I was looking at the Packers’ schedule this morning, and I was happy with what I saw – the schedule bodes well for a successful season. I might even go so far as to predict a 10-6 season (winning both matchups with the Vikes), a wildcard berth, and likely second place in the NFC North division.

Of course, that’s probably just the lifelong fan in me thinking wishfully. But that’s what a fan is suposed to do, right?

How far are you willing to stretch your imagination to predict a favorable season for your favorite sports team? When is it time for reality to set in?