The NFL Players Assn., responding to a...

The NFL Players Assn., responding to a contract offer made by management a week ago, began to prepare a counterproposal to the owners’ position.

Meanwhile, staff experts from the two sides met in Washington to discuss pension policies to ward off a strike scheduled for Sept. 22 .

Although both sides were encouraged that negotiations had resumed, each said the two days of talks over the weekend did not do much toward averting the league’s fifth strike since 1968.

Jack Donlan, executive director of the Management Council, said the union’s plan to present a counterproposal was not necessarily a sign of progress.

“We would have hoped they had a counterproposal ready when we resumed talks Saturday,” Donlan said. “I’ll know what progress we’ve made after I see it.”