IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips is tired of hearing the NFL apologize for officiating mistakes.
The Cowboys were on the wrong end of incidents involving replay in their last two games. In Dallas' Nov. 15 loss at Green Bay, the Packers weren't penalized for throwing a challenge flag when they were out of challenges, and in the Cowboys' Sunday victory over the Washington Redskins, the crew made a series of errors on the same play. It ended up not hurting the Cowboys because the Redskins missed a field-goal attempt, but it still left Phillips steamed Tuesday.
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"Well, I mean, it shouldn't (happen)," the coach said. "That's what they're paid to do. They're paid to go by the rules and make sure they know whether a team can challenge or whether a team can review something or not. That's what the officials are paid to do."
Phillips said he spoke with NFL officiating director Mike Pereira about it, and that Pereira is upset, too, because these errors go beyond judgment calls about things such as holding or pass interference.
"There shouldn't be any rules that they missed," Phillips said. "I think that's what Mike was upset about."
The Cowboys actually caught a break from the officials against the Redskins. Replays show that on Dallas' winning play, two offensive linemen were down the field. An official nearby missed it because he was watching to see if quarterback Tony Romo crossed the line before throwing the ball. He didn't, so no flag was thrown.
Asked if that came up with the league office, Phillips said: "No, because they weren't (illegally downfield). It wasn't called."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
