I had all but given up on the lockout ending before July, if even then. My optimism took a worse dive than Grady Jackson would standing on a springboard made of cooked macaroni, thanks to the endless stream of grim news flowing out of negotiations.

So the news from CBS Sports' Mike Freeman that talks are actually getting somewhere is equivalent to getting a hug from a roving band of adorable puppies. There's no concrete promises of a resolution contained in Freeman's report, but any progress is welcome after this insufferable off-season.

So what changed? According to Freeman, the best way to cut through the layer cake of animosity that had been baked over the last several months was by doing away with lawyers and having a frank discussion about compromise. Wow, what a novel concept.

So where does this get us in the short-term? Probably nowhere. The lockout still probably won't end until July, but there's hope that the two sides can hammer something out that doesn't have to involve the courts. Given that that's the best we can reasonably expect, I'll gladly take it if it even gets us a week or two closer to football.

What say you?