Patriots owner Robert Kraft says recent secret negotiations between the NFL's owners and players are "a very positive sign." "We're talking now, we're making progress, but there's a lot of work to be done," Kraft said. "This is a very hard deal, with all the different variables. In the end, the fact that principles -- who are going to be sitting down across from one another five years, 10 years from now -- are sitting down and talking about the problems is a positive thing. There's a lot of hard work to be done, but the good news is we're talking." Kraft has had a consistent presence throughout the labor negotiations, taking part in portions of the federal mediation in Washington, D.C. that ran up to the start of the lockout, as well as the court-ordered mediation in April and May in Minneapolis.