Wednesday, April 6, has been circled on the NFL calendar since the NFL owners locked out the players on March 12.

It’s the biggest day of the month for both parties. It could be more crucial to the season than the draft which runs April 28-30.

Wednesday U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson, in her Minnesota court room, will preside over a hearing on whether to issue an injunction to stop the NFL lockout.

Her decision could play a major factor in whether there will be an NFL season come September.

While NFL fans will be hanging on to the edge of their seats, she won’t necessarily announce her decision on Wednesday after both sides present their cases. She could make an immediate ruling or could take a few weeks.

Lester Munson, a Chicago lawyer and legal analyst for ESPN, expects her to issue the injunction. He wrote: “Injunctions are granted only in compelling circumstances, and they are extremely rare in antitrust cases. But, even in a court system that is reluctant to issue injunctions, the players have a powerful and persuasive argument. There is little doubt that the NFL is using its monopoly power to extract concessions from the players. There is little doubt that the decertification is real and will be upheld. And there is little doubt that the loss of an entire season is a serious and irreparable harm to the NFL’s 1,700 players.’’

No matter what her decision, the losing side will appeal and that is a process that could take us to early summer.

Although certainly during that time the owners and players could return to the bargaining table, nothing would be stopping them. In fact, nothing is stopping them now it seems except pride and pig-headedness from both sides. Fans don’t seem to have much sympathy for two sides who are trying to divvy up $9 billion in annual revenue. The numbers are so astronomical it just doesn’t seem to make sense that they can’t find common ground.

One tidbit of good news -- although we may be reading too much into it -- is that the Green Bay Packers president told season ticket holders this week to expect the season to open with a home game on Thursday, Sept. 8. We’ll see.

It’s up to the judge.

If Nelson issues the injunction and stops the lockout it will be a win for the players. If she doesn’t, the owners will gain more leverage.

Both sides have had their PR machines spinning at full tilt since March 12.

The spin will stop in Nelson’s court room.

(Paula Pasche covers the Lions. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaPasche. Read her Lions Lowdown blog at TheOaklandPress.com.)

The NFL has issued a lengthy statement regarding the lockout notice that was issued just after midnight.

Here’s one interesting point especially with collective bargaining being a hot topic issue in Wisconsin and around the country: “At a time when thousands of employees are fighting for their collective bargaining rights, this union has chosen to abandon collective bargaining in favor of a sham ‘decertification’ and antitrust litigation. This litigation maneuver is built on the indisputably false premise that the NFLPA has stopped being a union and will merely delay the process of reaching an agreement.’

Something to think about.

Will have more within the hour of how the lockout affects the Lions, following a conference call with team president Tom Lewand.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

It’s a huge day for the NFL and NFLPA with a 5 p.m. deadline today (Friday) to get a new collective bargaining agreement done.

Here are three possibilities:

1. A new agreement is reached by 5 p.m. Don’t hold your breath. This seems a remote possibility after all the sniping that went on between both sides last night on Twitter.

2. The owners and players union agree to another extension. If smart minds prevail, this will happen. The mediator needs to stand strong here. The owners can blame the players and vice-versa. However many fans will just see it as a greed issue and they don’t care who is right. They have little sympathy for two groups trying to split $9 billion in revenues. That’s $9 billion -- with a B. They want football.

3. The players union could decertify before 5 p.m. Then they would likely seek an injunction to prevent a lockout. Conflicting reports say getting an injunction could take from as little as a week to months.

Stay tuned.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

With the NFL/NFLPA negotiations back under way today, money is not the only issue. One huge question remains: Will the players agree to lengthen the season to 18 games?

The owners want to give up two of the four preseason games and extend the season.

Of course, this would mean more money in their pockets. But they aren’t the ones suiting up for the long haul. At the end of a 16-game season, bodies are bruised and battered and there’s still the playoffs (for some teams).

It will be interesting to see what happens if this goes through. Will coaches rethink the way they use players through the season? Will they move them in and out more often? Does this mean depth is more important than ever?

More questions than answers at this point.

Would you prefer an 18-game schedule or are you comfortable with 16? Let me know what you think.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

This is the day that could determine the immediate future of the NFL. On Thursday the NFL and NFLPA agreed to a 24-hour extension of the current collective bargaining agreement.

Today (Friday) if they agree to a short-term extension of a week or so, that could only mean they are closer to a new agreement than not.

Michael Silver’s excellent piece on yahoosports.com spells it all out.

In it, he writes that “for the first time key figures in each camp believe a deal is highly achievable.’’

It’s not a done deal, but certainly there is optimism.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

With tonight’s 11:59 p.m. deadline fast approaching, there are reports that the NFL wants to extend the deadline for contract negotiations. The current collective bargaining agreement expires tonight.

This afternoon both sides are still meeting with a mediator.

An extension would be a good sign that perhaps both sides think they can get a deal done in weeks, not months.

If there is no extension, the owners will likely declare a lockout and the NFLPA could announce union decertification. If the union does not certify before the current collective bargaining agreement expires, they would have to wait six months.

A decertification could be their best weapon, they would then ask a judge for an injunction to prevent the lockout. Many experts think if the NHL players would have decertified back in 2004, they could have avoided a year-long lockout.

Stay tuned here for details as they come along.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The threat of an NFL lockout is still a reality, but the signs continue to be positive that maybe the NFL owners and the NFLPA have found some middle ground.

Today (Wednesday) was their sixth straight day of meeting with a federal mediator in Washington, D.C. There is a news blackout on the talks and obviously both sides are living with that. The fact they continue to meet is news they cannot hide.

A mediator’s decisions are not binding like in arbitration, but the fact that he’s kept both sides at the bargaining table for six days has to be a good sign. They are under no obligation to sit there, if they thought it was a waste of time they would have blown town days ago.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day on March 3. Perhaps if an agreement has not been reached but is close they will extend that agreement for a few weeks.

The NFL will meet with general managers, coaches and excecutives from all 32 teams here in Indianapolis on Thursday.

I’ll be covering the NFL Combine through Sunday, with updates throughout each day.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

It’s certainly a good sign that the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to meet with a federal negotiator on Friday. It does not mean that an agreement will be reached before the current collective bargaining agreement expires on March 4. However, it’s a step in the right direction and shows they can agree on one thing.

No official negotiations have taken place since last week.

Mediation is different from arbitration which is binding. Mediation is something like going to a marriage counselor.

The NFLPA released this statement: “The NFL Players Association has always focused on reaching a fair collective bargaining agreement through negotiations. We hope that this renewed effort, through mediation, will help the players and owners reach a successful deal.’’

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent U.S. government agency, will oversee negotiations in Washington beginning Friday, according to the Associated Press.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

Surprisingly, don’t hear much concern from Lions fans about a possible NFL lockout. Certainly it remains a strong possibility.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires March 4. If there is no new deal in place the owners have threatened to lock out the players. Negotiations have been limited and, according to some reports, contentious.

The players would be happy to continue with the same terms of the current CBA, but the owners want a bigger piece of the $9 billion a year in revenue.

A lockout could affect thousands, not just the owners and players. If games are missed, it will hurt local economies.

In that light, the Kansas City Star reported that Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser sent a letter to Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt with a suggestion that makes sense.

Part of his letter read: “Accordingly, I call upon the owners to announce to the fans that they will not lock out the players. The players already have pledged to not strike. By making the parallel commitment, the owners would create the breathing room for a deal to be struck. This is common sense if the owners truly want to keep the game going, as Commissioner Goodell has stated.”

Common sense, what a concept.

Stay tuned for updates in the weeks leading up to March 4.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

In an effort to make their point that locking out the NFL players would have wide-reaching meaning, the NFLPA brought in a beer vendor from Ford Field to speak at a press conference in Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press.

"Football and other major sporting events are some of the only things that bring people to downtown Detroit after 5 p.m.," said John Marler, who has worked at the stadium since 2007.

There could be many twists and turns before the current contract expires on March 4. Both sides met Wednesday, but then canceled the session for today (Thursday).

Owners want a bigger cut of the league's revenues, which are roughly $9 billion, and a rookie wage scale. They also want to add two games to the regular season schedule.

The players are good with the status quo.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who won most every major rookie award available, has earned a $1 million bump in his base salary for 2011 which will bring it to $1,405,000 according to information from the NFLPA records posted on Mac’s Football Blog.

When Suh signed his rookie contract in August, it was for $40 million guaranteed and could reach as much as $68 million.

The only other Lion whose salary was triggered by incentives so far was wide receiver Calvin Johnson whose base salary for 2011 will be reduced by $1,575,482 to $8,875,000, but will climb to $14 million in 2012, the final year of his contract.

Detroit WXYT-TV is promoting a "major" announcement tonight involving the Lions. My suspicion is they will announce a deal to carry preseason Lions games. That's only major to Channel 7. As long as games are televised somewhere, fans are happy.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

With the March 3 deadline approaching, NFL fans got good news today when the NFL and NFLPA announced they have agreed to talk starting on Saturday, the day before the Super Bowl.

The two sides haven’t had meaningful talks in months, so it’s a step in the right direction.

The statement issued by both sides said: “NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and Commissioner Roger Goodell met today in New York to discuss a range of issues related to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. As part of a process to intensify negotiations, they agreed to hold a formal bargaining session with both negotiating teams on Saturday in the Dallas area. They also agreed to a series of meetings over the next few weeks, both formal bargaining sessions and smaller group meetings, in an effort to reach a new agreement by early March.”

If a new agreement is not reached there’s a possibility the owners will lock out the players.

The NFL is so wildly popular that Sunday’s Pro Bowl game drew monster ratings -- the biggest since 2000. The TV ratings were surprising because as they say there’s nothing like good football and that was nothing like good football.

Perhaps that’s the impetus to get back to the bargaining table. Both sides know the NFL and its players would take a hit if the season is shortened or not held at all.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)

In the next 10 days leading up to Super Bowl XLV expect to hear much about a possible NFL lockout. No negotiations are scheduled between the owners and the NFLPA with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on March 3.

It’s a very distinct possibility that there could be a lockout. It could be relatively short or it could impact the 2011 season. Of course no one knows for certain. The owners want more of the pie. They’ve also talked about adding two regular season games to bring the total to 18.

Some think the players won’t feel the pinch until September because they get their paychecks during the 17-week season. But that does not include free agent signing bonuses.

On Thursday NFL officials met with 10 NFL writers, including Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk.com, to explain their side.

Here’s an interesting tidbit, per Rosenthal: “By the league’s estimate, 569 players will be affected in March by a lockout. Of those, 495 players are scheduled to be free agents in 2011, with the assumption that the league goes back to a system where four accrued seasons are needed to become a free agent. That number includes 170 starters and 70 Pro Bowl players.

“It will be the biggest free-agent class ever, and it will have the highest percentage of starters available ever. They also counted 74 players with roster or option bonuses due in March, which have a total of $143.5 million due to those players.’’

In other words 569 players will feel the pinch sooner rather than later.

It’s going to be interesting to see it all unfold. A New York Times profile on Sunday of NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, started out with the words: “We are at war!” That’s how Smith addressed 20 NFL players who had been elected to represent their teammates at the beginning of a recent meeting, according to the Times.

If you’re an NFL fan those are not exactly the words you want to hear before negotiations heat up.

Watch this blog for updates as the process unfolds.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)