All in the Dysfunctional Family : Pro football: Those quibbling Cowboys, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones, were at it again this week at NFL meetings. In the end, they patched up their differences--for now.

While tinkering with rules and realignment, NFL officials were reminded Wednesday of one delightful part of their game that never changes.

America’s Feud. The Johnsons versus the Joneses.

Coach Jimmy Johnson is fighting again with Jerry Jones, owner of the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys.

Their most recent battle, perhaps their juiciest, involves red wine, a hotel bar, a toast gone bad, and a coach gone home.

“I think (our relationship) is excellent,” Jones said, with a smile. “There’s not another one like it in the NFL.”

The dispute heated up at 2 a.m. Tuesday with Jones vowing to fire Johnson and replace him with Barry Switzer during an off-the-record conversation with reporters at a hotel bar.

It continued later Tuesday when Johnson heard about the remarks and confronted his boss in the hotel lobby.

After a brief discussion, Johnson left the owners meetings a day early, skipping the annual coaches breakfast with the media.

The incident concluded Wednesday afternoon when Jones said he had no plans to fire his coach.

“I visited with him about this time yesterday . . . I think he was concerned that he had heard things being rumored around,” Jones said. “We kind of both agreed he’s still the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.”

Johnson, who initially said he was dumbfounded by Jones’ remarks, had retired to his boat off the south Florida coast and was unavailable for comment.

This is only the latest in a string of public disagreements between former college roommates who have somehow managed to lead the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl championships.

An opportunity to become the first coach to win three consecutive Super Bowls is the only thing keeping Johnson from quitting.

Becoming the first owner to win three in a row is the only thing keeping Jones from firing Johnson.

But how those egos clash, as evidenced Monday night at a party where witnesses say Jones passed a table in which Johnson and a group of former Cowboy coaches and officials were seated.

Jones stopped and offered a toast to the team’s recent success, apparently forgetting that at least one of these officials had left the organization after being forced out by Jones.

Johnson toasted quickly but did not invite his boss to join the table. Jones was left standing and steaming.

“I just wasn’t satisfied with the toast and decided to toast someplace else,” Jones said.

According to witnesses, Jones returned to the hotel bar, drank red wine, and invited several writers to his table.

By 2 a.m., witnesses say he was publicly questioning Johnson’s importance to the team and threatening to fire him.

Jones did not deny the comments, but noted that both he and Johnson frequently say such things about each other off the record. Those close to the situation agree.

“I don’t apologize about Monday night in any way, that was an off-the-record situation,” Jones said.

“(Jones) better change wines,” New York Giant Coach Dan Reeves said. “He better find some non-alcoholic wines.”