NEW YORK (AP) – The 2006 NFL season most likely will start in Pittsburgh on Sept. 7, keeping with a recent trend of beginning the schedule with the current Super Bowl champion.

The NFL also is considering an ESPN doubleheader for the opening Monday night on Sept. 11, one beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time and the second at 9 p.m., NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday. He added that the league is still open to a game overseas for 2006, perhaps in London’s Wembley Stadium.

The new schedule will be disclosed in April, although some games, such as the opener, may be announced earlier.

The Sept. 7 game will be the fifth straight Thursday opener. The first was in 2002 when San Francisco was at the New York Giants, in part to commemorate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The following season, the New York Jets were at Washington in the game in what was also considered a game honoring the two cities hit by the attacks.

But the last two openers have been at New England, the Super Bowl champion. The first was against Indianapolis and last season’s opener was against Oakland.

NBC, which takes over from ABC as the network for night games, will televise the game in Pittsburgh.

The proposed Monday night doubleheader would provide ESPN with a 17th game – the league most likely is to go again without a game the final Monday night of the season. Thursday and Saturday nights are now unavailable to ESPN.

because the NFL Network has picked up eight late-season games on those nights, beginning with Thanksgiving night.

As for the London game, Aiello said it remained under consideration. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said at the Super Bowl it was unlikely the NFL would play a regular-season game outside the United States this season. The first one took place last season with San Francisco playing Arizona in Mexico City.