NFL News & Rumors Digest

Just in case our dissection of the word ”close” didn’t temporarily depress you enough, it’s time to pass along news that labor negotiations have likely ended Wednesday soon after a tough day.

Albert Breer of NFL.com reports that most the NFLPA* contingent began to leave the sessions sometime following 8:00 p.m. ET.  Many of the owners continue to meet with each other, and it’s achievable the two sides could reconvene.

The lengthy session was described as “difficult” with “little progress” in the core issues. Smaller problems continue to be worked out, but Wednesday was “frustrating.”

We don’t have a lot more to add here that we didn’t already say.

At this stage, we do not blame the fans out there that just want to be told when it’s over, though we do appreciate the hearty diehards amongst you who keep coming back for a lot more.  Football is a potent drug.

UPDATE: Even though players had been “on call” until right after 10:00 p.m. ET, the two sides decided not to meet once again.  They will in the morning.

Related Posts:

• Thursday’s labor talks conclude
• Labor talks set to resume next week, hopefully for more than two days
• Your Wednesday labor starting lineup
• Players, owners return to talks on Wednesday
• Drew Brees says talks are “getting to crunch time”

Rosenthal predicted less than an hour ago that, within an hour, we’d be posting that the labor negotiations have ended for the day.

And the labor negotiations have ended for the day.

So says Albert Breer of NFL Network, who has been staking out the proceedings all day long.  In all, the parties spent 12-and-a-half hours behind closed doors on Thursday.  They’ll reconvene at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Breer reports that it was a “tough, tough day,” but that progress was produced.  Per Barry Wilner of the Associated Press, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said following the sessions, “We still have a lot of function to do.”

Most fans would react at this point by saying, “Then do it.”

Hopefully, the function will continue all day Friday, and into the weekend.

Related Posts:

• New cast of characters added to labor talks
• Labor talks set to resume next week, hopefully for more than two days
• Pash: League could extend deadline if gap in labor talks closes
• One day to go in mediated labor talks between NFL, union
• League, union meet in D.C. for second day of labor talks

At a time when a couple of franchises (the Ravens and the Jets) have scrapped plans for an off-website training camp, the Dallas Cowboys tentatively have picked a starting date.

Per the San Antonio Express-News, via CBSSports.com, the Cowboys plan to start off practicing at the Alamodome on July 29.

Equipment will be moved into the facility starting on July 25, three weeks from these days.

Although the development does not mean that camp definitely will happen, the news is encouraging — especially because Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in the thick of the labor negotiations.

Speaking of the negotiations, they start once again tomorrow.  And if they spend much less than 18 hours a day, each day, working on a settlement, we’ll spend a lot more than 18 hours a day, each day, pointing it out.

OK, we won’t invest that significantly time pointing it out.  I just liked the sound of that.

Related Posts:

• UFL reportedly suspending training camp by 30 days
• Cowboys “cautiously optimistic” they’ll go to San Antonio
• Cowboys Owner Jones Concerned About Bryant Returning Punts
• Roy Williams on Cowboys cutting him: “I would have done the same thing”
• Cowboys “worst moments” take center stage Thursday

DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association executive director, is expected to miss Tuesday’s court-ordered labor negotiations to attend to a “family medical emergency.” NFLPA spokesman George Atallah posted Monday on his Twitter account that Smith would miss the third session of talks in Minneapolis.

Related Posts:

• Family emergency will keep NFLPA head Smith from mediation
• Goodell, NFLPA leader Smith meet
• A.J. Smith: I was denied chance to assist in labor negotiations
• NFLPA executive director Smith to forego salary until settlement
• Labor negotiations continue as clock ticks on CBA deadline

If you anything like me, you’ve probably thought to yourself over the last few weeks: “Man, these contentious labor negotiations sure could use a bridge builder A.J. Smith.” It turns out the often-ornery Chargers G.M. was thinking the same thing. “I volunteered my services,” Smith told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  “But my…

Related Posts:

• No changes at the top: Chargers’ Turner, Smith to return in 2011
• NFLPA’s Smith to miss labor negotiations
• A.J. Smith is baffled that Eric Weddle's agent is baffled
• Chargers in wait-and-see mode with tagged WR Jackson
• Labor negotiations won’t slow down Super Bowl XLVI prep

Football is usually a welcome diversion for fans (and PFT writers) from real life issues. But with labor negotiations reaching a depressing state this Friday, we need a diversion from football a bit. On Friday’s PFT Live, we welcome Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski to talk about his burgeoning professional boxing career, which he is dead…

Related Posts:

• Free agent QB Pennington has torn ACL
• Saturday afternoon one-liners
• Free agent S Atogwe visits Redskins
• Jets Scheduled to Host Free Agent Donnie Avery
• Veteran Free Agent Moss Impresses During Workout With Saints

With the labor negotiations teetering on the brink, the union has ramped up the litigation pressure, possibly in advance of the decertify-and-sue maneuver. The Associated Press reports that the NFLPA has filed a motion with U.S. Judge David Doty requesting that he unseal evidence and testimony from the “lockout insurance” case.  In the court filing,…

Related Posts:

• In “lockout insurance” case, players ask Judge Doty to end the lockout
• Despite losing “lockout insurance” case, union wins nearly $7 million in damages
• Unsealed documents show league added “lockout insurance” to 2009 TV contract extensions
• NFL, union take $4B TV dispute to judge
• NFLPA: Saints Employees Fear Retribution for ‘bounty’ Testimony

SI.com’s Don Banks has the latest on labor negotiations. The Palm Beach Post analyzes the Dolphins’ offensive line. The Boston Herald updates the Patriots’ free agent list. Possible Jets draft target Jerrel Jernigan ran sub-4.4 forty times at his Pro Day. Ravens C Matt Birk has outed himself as a republican. Is Bengals QB Carson…

Related Posts:

• Thursday morning one-liners
• Saturday morning one-liners
• Wednesday morning one-liners
• Monday morning one-liners
• Saturday morning one-liners