The NFL has instructed teams and coaches to avoid making any public criticisms of the replacement officials, going so far as to provide talking points to use when asked about the ongoing dispute.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is not a "talking points" kind of guy.
Following Saturday night's 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans, Harbaugh initially said that "per instructions, I will not be commenting on the officiating", but could no longer keep quiet about the game's officiating, which had him reaching for the buffered aspirin.
"Our guys, as they do a lot, they tightened up toward the red zone and held them to field goals. Big interference call in third quarter was some big yardage on that drive," Harbaugh said, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. "I don't know. It's interesting. I don't have the pulse on this game. What was it exactly? Us? Them? Some crazy, wild calls. Were they accurate? Weren't they? We'll see. I have a headache (from yelling) though. I have a darned headache. A lot them (the calls) didn't seem like they were in the ballpark."
Keep the aspirin handy, coach. We have a feeling you'll be getting another "cover letter on the TPS report" memo from the NFL office reminding you to ignore the performance of the replacement officials.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter _@brianmcintyre_.
