Few people were as excited to see the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys kick off on Sunday Night Football than someone who’s worn the jerseys of both teams, former wide receiver Dez Bryant. But what Bryant saw during the game disgusted him, taking issue with what he saw as one-sided officiating by referee Carl Cheffers and his crew.
“I’m convinced the official got it out for the Saints,” Bryant wrote from his official Twitter account, suggesting he may have been pulling for the team he spent two days with (New Orleans) rather than the franchise he caught 73 touchdown passes for (Dallas). At the time of his post, the Saints were penalized nine times for 80 yards, while the Cowboys had been fouled just four times for 44 yards. The Saints offense seemed unable to run a single play at times without drawing a penalty flag for holding.
Sure, penalties are committed are on every down in the NFL. They aren’t always fouled, though. NFL officials held a conference call last week to discuss the frequency of holding penalties in an attempt to ease their impact on the pace of play; apparently, Cheffers and his crew opted out of that suggestion.
Ironically, Saints coach Sean Payton complimented the officials assigned to this game, noting that his team had a 12-1 record with Cheffers managing things. Payton hoped to leave the game with no complaints about the officiating, but that likely will not be the case. Payton’s teams have been victims of officiating gaffes in nearly every game they’ve played recently, ranging from a defensive touchdown wiped out by a premature whistle against the Los Angeles Rams to clock mismanagement before halftime versus the Houston Texans, and of course the NFC championship game no-call from last season’s playoffs. It’s prompted angry, frustrated responses from the passionate Saints fan base.
