IRVING, Texas –Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has taken a pretty firm stance in the ongoing dispute between the NFL and its officials union, but head coach Jason Garrett has stayed above the fray.
Until Monday, that is, when it became apparent the two sides would not reach an agreement in time for Wednesday's season opener. Just as Jerry Jones has expressed that the longtime officials are by no means perfect, and thus the replacements shouldn't be expected to be, either, Garrett isn't going to use the fill-ins as an excuse.
The coach isn't fond of using the word "concern" in any circumstance, and this is no exception.
"Really not at all," Garrett said. "The NFL does a great job of bringing a great product out there for us, and we're just going to go play. It's our job to play and coach, and the officials are going to be fine. I think they did a good job during the preseason and we're just excited to do our part in this game on Wednesday night."
Garrett wouldn't go so far as to say he'll agree with every call, of course.
"I think we probably will have a similar relationship that we have with the regular officials," Garrett said with a smile.
In the preseason game against San Diego, Garrett drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for throwing his red flag on a play that was supposed to a booth review, but the officials gave no indication that they were reviewing.
During the same game, the Chargers might've been wrongly awarded possession for an interception that followed a penalized hit on wide receiver Andre Holmes, which jostled the ball free from his hands.
The two sides are reportedly more than $30 million apart.
