NEW YORK -- When he was an NFL umpire from 1982 through 1998, Hendi Ancich was unique -- a San Francisco longshoreman consorting with lawyers, doctors, dentists, college professors. CEOs and other businessmen.

By professions and disposition, it's not the kind of group you'd expect to find involved on the labor side of a labor dispute.

As replacement officials began attending training clinics Wednesday, the two sides seemed to be playing a game of chicken.

The league is hoping it will get through the final week of exhibitions without too many blatant officiating gaffes. That, NFL officials believe, might be enough to pressure Tom Condon and the NFL Referees' Association into reducing its salary demands, which are from 50-75 percent above what the league is offering.

The officials, of course, are hoping that there will be all sorts of officiating fiascos, leading the league to realize that it can't go into the regular season with replacements.

"I don't think anyone who hasn't officiated an NFL game can understand how much faster it is than college," says Condon, a former NFL offensive lineman who is the chief negotiator for the officials. "I'm not happy about having my players out there under those conditions."

"My" players to Condon, a former president of the players' union, are those he represents for IMG, the world's biggest athletes agency. His clients include Tim Couch, Tony Gonzalez, LaDanian Tomlinson, Charlie Batch, La'Roi Glover, J.J. Stokes and, most prominently, Peyton Manning.

Naturally, Condon is not unhappy that Manning will sit out this weekend with a minor knee injury.

Most of Condon's officials are not the types you would expect to see holding picket signs.

Start with referee Ed Hochuli, the president of the union. He's a lawyer, as are umpire Jeff Rice and field judge Steve Zimmer.

Gerry Austin, one of the NFL's top referees, is the president of a leadership development group; umpire Ed Coukart and side judge Rick Patterson are bankers; line judge Jeff Bergman is CEO of a medical services provider; side judge John Parry is a corporate pilot; referee Ron Winter, line judge Daryll Lewis, and umpire Ron Botchan are college professors; referee Terry McCauley is a computer scientist; line judge Walter Anderson and field judge David Warden are dentists; line judge Duke Carroll is president of an insurance agency; referee Bob McElwee owns a construction company; referee Mike Carey owns a skiing accessories company.

Referee Ron Blum is a golf pro -- they can't all wear coats and ties to work.

The NFL won't identify who the replacement zebras are -- not even their past officiating experience. Their names will be released at game time, along with their uniform numbers and perhaps the college they attended.

That's in keeping with NFL tradition -- officials are kept as isolated as possible.

Zebras are not allowed to talk to the media, although they've been known to chat with reporters in an airport restaurant or during a plane trip. Only a pool reporter is allowed in the officials' locker room after games and, more often than not, the referee will speak for all the officials, including the one who made the controversial call.

Coaches routinely are fined by the league for public criticism of officiating. However, they also routinely discuss their gripes by telephone with members of the officiating department and sometimes are told they were right and the officials were wrong.

That process will continue, replacements or not. But it appeared that the party line was in effect among coaches.

"I am sure the league is going to find quality guys to do the job," coach Jim Fassel of the Giants said Wednesday. "I addressed it with my team today. I said: 'Men: don't ever get it in your mind that the officials are going to win and lose the game for us. I don't want to hear anyone talking about that. We control that.' "

The NFL hopes Fassel and 30 other NFL coaches will feel the same way after this week's games.

Privately as well as publicly.