For the first time in a month, representatives from the NFL and its locked-out officials will meet Friday, two sources told ESPN.
A league spokesman declined comment to ESPN.
The meeting comes two days after the NFL sent a memo to all 32 clubs alerting them to expect replacement officials in Week 1 of the regular season.
On Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stressed the nead for real talks.
"It takes a negotiation," Goodell told NFL.com and NFL Network reporter Albert Breer. "We know a little bit about negotiations. We've been through them with the players, and we've been through them in a variety of different contexts. We're looking at this for the long term, not the short term. And the long-term goal is to make officiating better and to improve the officiating. That takes a lot of work, and we need to have the flexibility to make sure we can ensure the best performance on the field from our officials, as well as addressing the economic issues."
When asked again Thursday if there still was time to get a deal done with the locked-out officials, Goodell told Breer: "We're, right now, planning on putting the replacement officials on the field. We would love to get an agreement. We respect our officials, and we'd work all night to get it done."
The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday to kick off the 2012 regular season.
