The NFL yesterday revealed its schedule for the '11 season, which will kick off Sept. 8 with a Thursday night game on NBC featuring Saints-Packers, the last two Super Bowl champions. ESPN will air 17 primetime games, beginning with a "MNF" doubleheader on Sept. 12 featuring Patriots-Dolphins and Raiders-Broncos. NFL Network kicks off its coverage with Raiders-Chargers on Nov. 10 (THE DAILY). The NFL "for a second straight season" has slotted an "SNF" game "opposite what will be Game 4 of the World Series on Fox" (DAILY VARIETY, 4/20).

The Giants will play the Redskins at FedEx Field in a day game on Sept. 11, while the Jets will host the Cowboys at New Meadowlands Stadium that night. There had been “speculation that the Jets would host the Giants to mark” the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, but a source said that “given the complexities of the schedule, the league could not make that game work for the opener” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/20).

U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson could rule on the NFLPA's request for an injunction against the lockout "as soon as today," despite the fact that the mediated talks she ordered between the NFL and NFLPA are still ongoing. Nelson two weeks ago said that "her ruling would come 'in a couple of weeks,' leading sources on both sides to say they expect it any day now." The two sides met in mediation "for about seven hours" yesterday and will resume talks today in Minneapolis (N.Y. POST, 4/20).

Former Univ. of Alabama RB Mark Ingram will be a spokesman for Subway restaurants, starting with activity around next week’s NFL Draft. Ingram will make appearances, blog and do a PR tour for the QSR in N.Y. next week. For the past several years, Subway has selected a top collegian to put a face on its marketing efforts around the draft, generally one of the first endorsements for those players.

"He’s got a great football pedigree, since his dad played in the NFL. We haven’t had a player from Alabama before and most importantly, he’s already a fan of Subway and it's important for us to have a presence in and around an event that delivers as many eyeballs as the NFL Draft does for a mass brand like ours," said Subway CMO Tony Pace. Former Subway college football endorsers include Ndamukong Suh, Michael Crabtree and Reggie Bush.

Ingram will also be on the cover of EA Sports' "NCAA Football 12" video game when it hits retail in July.

In yet another sign of the Comcast-NBC integration, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will produce live daily sports news segments for the over-the-air NBC affiliate in the Bay Area starting in June. The segments will hit during the 6:00pm PT and 11:00pm newscasts. Bay Area marks the first Comcast RSN that will produce news for the NBC owned and operated affiliate in the area and could provide a model in other markets where Comcast owns an RSN and NBC owns a local broadcast affiliate. In the Bay Area, the NBC affiliate has been using CSN's production of Giants games since '08.

The deal also will see the broadcast channel pick up CSN-produced documentaries and magazine shows that will air monthly on weekend evenings. NBC and CSN are building a new set at CSN's studios to produce the sports newscasts. The company says the merge will not lead to job reductions; rather, they expect it to create new positions.

The Browns and the city of Cleveland today will unveil plans for a mixed-use development on "more than 20 acres north of Cleveland Browns Stadium." Browns officials envision a project that includes athletic fields, a 1,000-car parking garage and a "potential sports-medicine or wellness facility." The team has hired consulting firm Hammes Co. to study the potential of the lakefront site, which would be "largely owned by the city." The team and city also are expected to make "a bid to bring the Cleveland Clinic to the project" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/20).

The Men's Wearhouse has signed on as title sponsor for The Experts Network's NFL Draft preview online show. The Experts Network (TXN) is the broadband site that a group of former athletes-turned-broadcasters are launching April 26 in conjunction with 16W Marketing. "The Men's Wearhouse NFL Draft Preview Show" will feature NFL analysts Cris Collinsworth, Boomer Esiason, Howie Long and Phil Simms. It is being produced in conjunction with Big Lead Sports and will stream on TheBigLead.com. As part of the deal, Men's Wearhouse will be integrated into editorial, including a branded "Ask the Experts" interactive feature that engages fans in the NFL draft social conversation.

The A's and the city of Phoenix are "likely to extend their spring-training arrangements for another 10 years, starting in 2015," with the Phoenix City Council expected to approve the deal today. The team has used Phoenix Municipal Stadium since '82. A's Owner Lew Wolff directed team officials to suggest an interim lease, "giving both sides time to work out improvement plans." Once the improvements are pinned down, "a new lease agreement will be worked out" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/20).

The Univ. of Massachusetts today will announce that it is "making the jump in football from the FCS to the FBS level" and will begin playing league games in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) by '12. UMass, like fellow Atlantic 10 school Temple, will join the MAC "in football only," giving the conference a total of 14 football teams. The move will be announced at Gillette Stadium, "which is significant since that venue will host the majority of UMass' home games" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/20).