NFL lead negotiator Jeff Pash has responded to Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel's idea to try to break the impasse between the league and the decertified players' union, writing that the owners are amenable to what the NFL Players Association executive committee member suggested.

"We are willing to negotiate, but we don't want to negotiate with Bob Batterman, Jeff Pash or Roger Goodell," Vrabel told ESPN. "Our executive committee needs to negotiate with Jerry Jones, Bob Kraft, Jerry Richardson -- their executive committee. People that are willing and can agree to a deal. Jeff Pash can't agree to a deal."

Here's the full text of Pash's reply:

"We are pleased now to have received a reply to the comprehensive proposal that we made eight days ago. The points made in the players’ letter are precisely the kind of points that collective bargaining is intended to address. Debating the merits of the offer in this fashion is what collective bargaining is all about. But we would note that three facts we have consistently identified over the past week are ignored and we therefore assume acknowledged. First, the proposal called for player costs of between $19 and $20 billion over the next four seasons; second, the player cost figure in 2011 was above the actual cash spending for 2009 and 2010; and third, the economic offer, combined with other elements of the proposal, was a substantial move by the clubs to keep negotiations going and avoid a work stoppage and related litigation."

"This letter again proves that the most sensible step for everyone is to get back to bargaining. So we again accept Mike Vrabel’s suggestion that the union’s executive committee meet with our negotiating team, including Jerry Richardson, Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, to resume bargaining. If Mike will let us know when and where he and his colleagues would like to meet, we will be there. We are ready.”

At least the two sides sound amenable to start talking again.

However, it seems unlikely that the two sides are going to be head back to the negotiating table until an April 6 hearing in federal court is heard. The NFLPA has asked for an injunction to halt the lockout.

"We're confident that this injunction is gonna be granted," Baltimore Ravens cornerback and executive committee member Domonique Foxworth said. "And I think the message to the fans is -- all the fans should just unite and root for this at this point. You don't have a team to root for at this point, you wanna root for your team when the season comes, you need to be outside the courthouse with your face painted cheering for the judge to grant this injunction. Because I think simply put if we are granted this injunction there will be football."