If this was next season, who knows what T.O. would have said about his quarterback. But it's his first season in Dallas, so Terrell Owens was far kinder to Drew Bledsoe after the QB cost the Cowboys a game Sunday than he ever was to Donovan McNabb.
This was hailed as ``The Game of the Century'' in Philadelphia _ T.O.'s return to the city where he went from star to pariah in six months. What it turned into was another demonstration of how Bledsoe's tendency to err under pressure will regularly cost whatever team he plays for _ New England, Buffalo, now Dallas.
But no, Bledsoe doesn't go under the bus yet. Unless Bill Parcells decides that Tony Romo will play quarterback for the Cowboys sometime in the near future.
``As an offensive unit, we let ourselves down,'' Owens said, sounding nothing at all like his old self. ``We win as a team and we lose as a team.''
It wasn't all Bledsoe, of course.
It was a Dallas offensive line that allowed its QB to be sacked seven times. It was punter Mat McBriar, who fumbled a snap early in the game that put Philadelphia on the Cowboys' 14. And it was T.O. himself, who dropped two passes _ yes, he still has pins in the hand he broke three weeks ago and he did take what was described as an overdose of painkillers 12 days ago.
But the loss has to go on Bledsoe, who did things McNabb NEVER did while T.O. was with the Eagles.
With the Eagles leading 31-24 and 7{ minutes left in the game, Owens had Lito Sheppard beaten by three steps for an apparent touchdown. Bledsoe underthrew the ball and Sheppard intercepted, the second of three picks.
The third _ obviously the worst _ came with 31 seconds left and Dallas at the Philadelphia six-yard line. Tight end Jason Witten cut in when Bledsoe thought he was about to cut out and Sheppard was there to pick it off and take it 102 yards for a TD to clinch Philadelphia's 38-24 win.
At the end, there was probably nothing major proven except that the circus is over. It was more a sideshow than a ``GAME OF THE CENTURY'' _ the Eagles' game in Dallas on Christmas may be more meaningful.
The only thing this proved is that the Eagles (4-1) finally beat a team of some quality.
Their other three wins were over Houston, San Francisco and Green Bay, all in the league's bottom six or eight teams. In its only loss, Philadelphia blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead and was beaten in overtime by the Giants. So right now, with most of the season left, the Eagles stand atop what should be a very competitive NFC East, ahead of the Cowboys and Giants, who are both 2-2.
Owens?
He isn't playing as he did in his first season in Philly _ his three catches for 45 yards on Sunday give him 17 receptions for 232 yards and one TD in four games. He had three TDs alone in his first game with the Eagles two years ago. At this point in that season, he had 26 catches for 364 yards and six touchdowns.
Again, he was the good T.O. in that season _ nothing negative until a while after the Eagles lost 24-21 to New England in the Super Bowl.
And he's the good T.O. again.
He was given plenty of opportunity after the game to go after Bledsoe. ``I'm just out there doing my job. I'm not looking to create a story,'' he replied when asked specifically if he thought his quarterback was the problem. Then he added how much he respected the Philadelphia fans; how (again) the Cowboys win as a team and lose as a team.
Still, it seems almost inevitable that at some point, T.O. will turn into M.E.
He did in San Francisco, he did in Philadelphia and he will do it again after this kind of loss. Maybe not until next year or maybe not after some late-season or playoff loss _ nothing changes with this guy.
Meanwhile, the fans got what they wanted _ they booed T.O. and the Eagles won.
``If I wasn't playing in this game, I would have been watching,'' McNabb said. ``It was two good teams, not two people. Two people don't make a team.''
© The Canadian Press, 2007
