And there's now a little more optimism in the NFL lockout.

On Wednesday night, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that several NFL owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met secretly in Chicago and on Thursday morning ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported that the NFLPA's DeMaurice Smith was there as well. 

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is on the league's labor committee but I haven't seen a report confirming he attended the meeting.

So what does it all mean? Are we closer to an agreement between the two sides?

We don't really know on either count. Logically speaking, it would seem that the two sides simply talking at this point is a good sign. The more they talk, the closer they should be coming to an agreement (though that's not necessarily the case). 

There will be a hearing on Friday with the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to determine the future of the lockout. We likely won't be hearing a ruling right away but it's believed the court will keep the lockout in place. 

Whatever happens on Friday, we're hoping that it pushes the two sides to agree to a deal. Schefter reported that it's believed the two sides were laying a foundation to agree to a deal, hopefully by the end of the month.

So this could be some good news on this rainy Kansas City morning.