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Ex-Cowboys HC's biggest regret from Dez Bryant's catch isn't what fans expect
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- Ex-Cowboys HC's biggest regret from Dez Bryant's catch isn't what fans expect
Ex-Cowboys HC's biggest regret from Dez Bryant's catch isn't what fans expect originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Few plays in Dallas Cowboys history remain as divisive as Dez Bryant's overturned catch against the Green Bay Packers in the 2014 playoffs. More than a decade later, former head coach Jason Garrett says his biggest regret is not about the ruling itself but about what he failed to say afterward.
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Jason Garrett looks back at Dez Bryant controversy
Garrett revisited the moment during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show , where he explained that his response after the loss still bothers him. Rather than focus on the officials, he stuck to the message he had always preached inside the Cowboys locker room.
"We always talked about no excuses, no explanations, and you just take full responsibility," Garrett said. He added that he does not regret standing by that philosophy after the game.
The regret came from leaving something unsaid.
Garrett believes Tony Romo's throw and Bryant's contested catch deserved far more recognition than they received. Instead, the conversation quickly turned to the replay review that erased the play.
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"I thought it was one for the ages," Garrett said. He compared it to Terry Bradshaw's touchdown pass to Lynn Swann in Super Bowl X, adding that he never fully expressed how remarkable the play itself had been.
The catch was originally ruled complete before Green Bay challenged. Officials overturned the call after deciding Bryant had not completed the process of the catch under the NFL rule in place at the time. Dallas turned the ball over on downs, and the Packers closed out the victory.
The league later changed its catch rule, removing the requirement that became central to Bryant's overturned reception. Even with that change, the debate has never disappeared.
Garrett also told Eisen he does not know whether Jerry Jones contacted the NFL after the game.
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For Garrett, the lasting memory is no longer the replay review. It is the belief that one of the best throws and catches in Cowboys history became known only for the call that followed.
