FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that he would not be opposed to the NFL sending pass interference calls to its replay center in New York, and that tight end Jake Ferguson’s fumble in Rio de Janeiro was a different kind of play than the fumbles he had last season.
Ferguson’s ball came loose on a shovel pass in Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The ruling came from New York, Schottenheimer said, and the Dallas Cowboys do not turn in many plays to the league for review.
“New York was the one that ruled it. We don’t turn a lot of plays in. We’ll turn in a handful that we think are very obvious, but I don’t turn a lot of plays in. Those plays don’t determine the game,” Schottenheimer said. “The game ebbs and flows, and the swings that happen don’t matter. They send you a letter saying they either agree or disagree. Some people like doing it because it makes them feel better. To me, the game’s over. It’s in the books, and all we can do is learn from it and get better.”
On Wednesday, Schottenheimer said the shovel pass is a read play and a bang-bang call, but that Dallas holds Ferguson to a high standard.
“Yeah, I think it’s a little different than the fumbles that he had last year. It’s a very different play. It’s a shovel pass where you’re reading the end and trying to make a decision. It was a bang-bang play, but we also hold Fergie to high standards,” Schottenheimer said. “So it goes down as a fumble. Whether we believe it was or not, it was a fumble, and he’s the first to take responsibility for it.”
Ferguson has scored three touchdowns in the last two games. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw him two in the 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders and his only touchdown pass in Rio.
Brian Schottenheimer Open To Pass Interference Review
Several pass interference calls drew attention around the league last weekend, including one in the Dallas game. Schottenheimer said his message to the players was that the Cowboys were clean with penalties overall outside of a red-zone false start.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, my message to the guys today was very simple. I thought overall we were pretty clean with the penalties. We had the one false start in the red zone, which we alluded to yesterday. The other ones were all post-snap. And so the emphasis there is fundamentals,” Schottenheimer said. “But, yeah, I think the league’s learned that they can do a lot of things in a short period of time with the calls going to New York. So, yeah, I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
He said he would support review of pass interference specifically.
Brian Schottenheimer Will Take 31 Points A Game
A question Tuesday noted that since the start of last season, the Cowboys have been a top-five scoring offense and second in yardage but in the middle of the pack in goal-to-go efficiency. Schottenheimer said a mental error on the first third down in Rio cost Dallas a wide-open Ferguson.
“A lot of things. In this game, we had a mental error on the first third down. If we get a guy blocked, Fergie’s coming wide open. I’ve talked about the last drive, that was me. The penalties have hurt us down there; that’s real. We have to be better and more disciplined,” Schottenheimer said. “Before that, quite honestly, we were batting 100%. In the first two games, I think we were 100% in the red zone, you’ll have to check that. I think we were seven for seven. I have no question we can do it. If you told me we can score 31 points a game, I’ll take it.”
Tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford has earned more chances in the passing game, Schottenheimer said Wednesday, and Dallas will run anything with him that it runs with Ferguson. He called Ferguson a security blanket.
“You guys know how productive Fergie has been for us, scoring points and certainly being a security blanket. But Brevyn’s a guy that we have great confidence in, and Luke Schoonmaker is a guy that’s still getting better and improving,” Schottenheimer said. “So the answer to your question is yes. Brev is completely trusted by us, and we’ll run anything with him that we would do with Fergie as well.”
Dallas plays at the Houston Texans on Sunday at noon CT on Fox.
