The National Football League's reliably overheated summer camp phase begins officially tomorrow somewhere in the wilds of Maryland, where Baltimore Ravens rookies, soon to be joined by veterans, flock together for maxi camp only to find no Jonathan Ogden, no Steve McNair, no Brian Billick, and no real hope of perching in the higher branches of the AFC North Division in any of the next few Decembers.

The fact that the Ravens are allowed to convene six full days before the Steelers despite playing their first preseason game one night before Mike Tomlin's team is nowhere seen as an inequity, as Baltimore's primary hope is long range, namely that former Pitt transfer turned Delaware Blue Hen Joe Flacco might one day be a quarterback so legendary that he speaks only through fabled Fox gabette Greta Van Susteren.

Such is the status of former Green Bay Packers quarterback turned future Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, whose goofy post-retirement saga is not only the obsession of Packers Nation but of the nation at large and apparently of nations around the world.

On NFL.com this week, NBA legend Charles Barkley weighed in on Favre's request to be released by the Packers. That's right Charles Barkley, former Philadelphia 76ers forward turned inveterate gambler and rumored Alabama gubernatorial candidate, was weighing in on Favre with no apparent expertise. As they say in Barkleyville, that's turrble.

I haven't been back to NFL.com since, but I presume former U.N. Secretary Generals Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros Ghali weighed in on Favre as well, followed by former WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho, Survivor legend Amber Brkich, and prop comic Carrot Top.

The Favre story that has dominated sports media all week isn't half as complicated as the world seems to make it. Favre retired tearfully after a Hall of Fame career right after leading the Packers to the NFC championship game. He got thanked vociferously as the Pack turned to promising young passer Aaron Rodgers, but began fulminating all over Mississippi when the summer came. Since Favre is still under contract, all the Packers need do is welcome him back, let him compete with Rodgers on the legendary lawns of St. Norbert College, and may the better offensive catalyst win.

But no.

That wouldn't do.

How would we fill 18 consecutive spin cycles of he said, they said? How would Charles Barkley remain relevant without dropping another $1 million at the tables? The Packers seem to be taking the position that it's only right to make Favre, having unretired on them on a date too close to maxi camp, emulate St. Norbert, the 11th century cleric who led a life of penance.

Fortunately for those soon headed to Latrobe, Favre can't possibly be a concern until February, so it behooves us perhaps to focus on more relevant issues that might arise repeatedly within the AFC North, such as whether the Steelers' division will remain home to excitable Bengals wideout Chris Henry.

Henry, once arrested five times in three years, recently had assault charges against him dropped and immediately applied for re-instatement to the NFL, which had suspended him after his latest arrest. The Bengals released him in apparent anticipation of the suspension, but this week Henry said that if he's cleared to play, he won't hold any grudges against the Bengals.

Talk about magnanimous.

The Bengals likely have enough training camp turbulence already scheduled around Chad Johnson, whose injuries have temporarily muffled his relentless self promotion. Cincinnati expects top draft pick Keith Barnes of Southern California to step right in and improve a defense that was so bad Keith Barnes can probably step right in and improve it.

What did Carson Palmer do to deserve this?

Meanwhile in Berea, Ohio, the AFC North's champions-in-waiting will gather Tuesday to start the process of getting over the Pittsburgh hump. If you think a bloody coup in this division isn't imminent at least by perception, I would remind you that the Browns are scheduled for five prime-time exposures in 2008, the first when they play host to the Steelers Sept. 14, a Sunday night.

The 34-7 pasting the Steelers administered there in September 2007 turned out to be the only home loss for the Browns, who somehow morphed instantaneously into division favorites with the costly additions of defensive tackles Corey Williams from Green Bay and Shaun Rogers from Detroit to a team that finished 10-6. That their secondary remains a mess, that Romeo Crennel's career record is 20-28, and that Brady Quinn is still haunting starting quarterback Derek Anderson I guess simply aren't of any serious concern.

The Browns open at home against Dallas Sept. 7, after which a lot of perspectives might need adjustment. The Cowboys, for example, might reassess their own near term destinies barely 24 hours later, when Favre leads the Pack past the Vikings, 37-7.