Hey, NFL Live, Take The Off-Season Off.

When it’s the offseason, and analysts on ESPN are looking to justify their salaries, we get very, very hackneyed segments on shows like NFL Live, that shouldn’t even be on until training camp begins. Regardless, with that show taking up a half hour of real estate on ESPN in the afternoons, we get subjected to pleasant bits like segments on Mark Schlereth’s cameo on a soap opera, and like today, Trey Wingo and Sean Salisbury venturing out of their comfort zone by comparing the teams left in the NBA Playoffs to existing NFL teams.

If you’re interested, the Detroit Pistons were the Chicago Bears (reliable veteran leadership, no huge stars, Urlacher = Sheed), the Cavs were the New Orleans Saints (LeBron = Reggie Bush, need a little more to put them over the top), the Jazz were the Denver Broncos (old school coach and young players), and the Spurs were the New England Patriots (no explanation necessary.)

This is just as tortured when Wingo and crew did those extended SportsCenters after draft specials a few weeks ago — trying to listen to guys like Salisbury talk about any sport other than the NFL is horrid, never mind how hard it is to take some of them seriously on pro football, and it’s all done in the series of stretching a show that shouldn’t really be on at this time of the year, ranting endlessly about the same subjects. The NFL has developed into a year-long coverage beat, really, hyping the draft to very high levels and with all the off-season focus on the troubles of some of its athletes — but that content alone really doesn’t drive a half-hour show very well. If there’s very little to follow up on in terms of actual news content (and let’s not get into how badly served reciting the latest from the AP on TV works at times), then all we get is the same ranting formula about Michael Vick’s dog troubles, Marvin Lewis’ statements about the Cincy police, extended over a week until something actually happens — plus, these stories are in the hands of a host and analysts, and it’s hard to consider them actual journalists covering the story.

So ESPN, please bid Trey, Sean, Mark, and Michael Smith adieu for a month or two. Give them the vacation they’ve earned. Stinky can spend more time on the set of Guiding Light as Roc Hoover. Michael already does time on Around the Horn. Sean can go golfing, and spend his time sending picture messages of the course (right…) Just give it the off-season hiatus you give Baseball Tonight, NBA Fastbreak, et al.

Hell, give OTL the whole hour until Rome. We’d all be better off.