Chron: Texans prep for lockout's end

[Arky]

Kubiak planning for season as sides near a labor deal

Negotiators for the NFL and the players continue to move closer to a new collective bargaining agreement the owners could vote on during their Thursday meeting in Atlanta.

Some issues — like dropping the players' antitrust lawsuit against the NFL — still must be resolved, but none is expected to be a deal-breaker, according to representatives of both sides.

Once a final agreement is reached, owners and players must approve the new CBA so the lockout can be lifted, and both sides can resume business as usual.

Various media outlets around the country are reporting a deal is imminent. Attorneys from both sides are working through the weekend. Members of the owners' negotiating committee and the players' executive committee return to the bargaining table Monday hoping to get an agreement for the owners to vote on Thursday.

If the new CBA is approved, as expected, the plan is to give teams three days to try to re-sign their free agents and sign their draft choices and undrafted free agents before unrestricted free agency would begin next week.

Most teams are supposed to start training camp July 29. Because the Texans play the New York Jets on Aug. 15 — a Monday night game that's the last one of the weekend — they're supposed to report July 31. There's a chance the league could mandate July 29 for all teams to report.

Once the lockout is lifted, the Texans will be prepared to open their facilities to their players for the first time since the work stoppage began in March.

"The most important thing is to get our guys in here, whether it's a week or three days before we go to training camp, so we can check them out and find out where our injured players are and what kind of shape everybody's in," coach Gary Kubiak said. "The first three or four days of camp are going to be different than in the past because we haven't seen these guys."

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Chalk one up to sanity.....

[Arky]

If deal is approved, training camps could open on Wednesday

Representatives of NFL owners and players appear to have made significant progress on Saturday in their continuing negotiations for a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

A plan is in place that would have the players vote on the new CBA on Monday, and if they approve it, as expected, they could start reporting to camp Wednesday, according to persons familiar with what transpired Friday and Saturday.

Once the players approve the CBA, the NFL will lift the lockout and allow teams to report to camp. After all players have report, they will vote on recertification as a union.

ESPN reported Sunday that the owners and players have agreed on all points of the CBA, and the players will vote on it Monday and the NFL Players Association will have a news conference on Monday.

Teams are waiting to hear from the NFL about when the league year will begin. The league year is the start of unrestricted free agency. ESPN is reporting the league year could begin on Saturday.

In other words, new players will be coming, and old players will be going while teams are conducting training camp in what’s expected to be the most chaotic period in NFL history.

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Offseason stuff usually spread out over months is going to be crammed into a week or three.....