While there remains a focused approach toward completing a labor deal between the NFL and its locked-out players in the near future, finalization of one Thursday is close to impossible, sources close to the negotiations told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. It still is expected that negotiations will spill into early next week to achieve a "done deal," the sources said. Even with progress, there are unresolved issues that require further negotiations. If the talks extend past Friday, the sides will be negotiating without U.S. District Judge Arthur Boylan, the mediator in the talks. Sources told ESPN that Boylan is scheduled to go on vacation Saturday. Source: ESPN
