Owens biggest problem for Cowboys early in season

by Jerrod Carr, staff writer

During the past couple of weeks, Terrell Owens has not performed as well as his mouth says he will.  Actually he hasn’t performed at all. 

In the third week of the season, the Cowboys played the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, and Owens only had two receptions.  Granted, Al Harris, an exceptional cornerback, was constantly pressing Owens, and never gave him the chance to really get started.  Owens did pull his weight in the victory over Green Bay, though, when he helped throw several blocks to spring the running backs for touchdowns, boosting his team by doing the little things.

In the fourth game, the Cowboys played the Washington Redskins and dropped a 26-24 decision at Texas Stadium.  Again, Owens was well covered by anther exceptional cornerback, veteran Sean Springs, but Owens did have seven receptions. 

If you didn’t watch the game, you might not know that Owens was involved in 19 of the plays on offense.  According to the stats, Owens was involved in 33 percent of the plays. 

After the game against the Redskins, Owens spoke to the press.  He implied that he wasn’t involved enough in the game.  If you are involved in 19 plays and only make a catch on seven of them, maybe involving you in the game isn’t the answer. 

Owens is a phenomenal wide receiver.  He is second to Jerry Rice in receiving touchdowns in NFL history, and there aren’t going to be many receivers to take him out of that position.  But that does not give him the right to think he is Superman. 

But Owens isn’t the only problem the Cowboys must face.  In the loss to the Redskins, the Cowboys ran the ball 11 times.  That is unacceptable.  The Cowboys have a run-based offense with Marion Barber and Felix Jones.  They have the power with Barber and the speed with Jones. 

Against the Packers, both backs combined for more than 200 yards rushing.  If you compile 200 rushing yards in one game, you are obviously doing something right.  So why head in another direction? 

The Cowboys lost to the Redskins because they abandoned the running game, and because head coach Wade Phillips gave in to Owens’ insistence on being more involved in the game.  If you are involved in 19 plays and the team still loses, obviously you are not the answer the Cowboys need. 

To avoid such losses, the Cowboys need to do two things.  First, do not abandon the running game.  They have one of the most powerful tailbacks that the franchise has ever seen, so they need to use him.  They have paid him enough, so they need to make those dollars work.  They also have one of the most explosive rookies as a back-up running back, so use him. 

Secondly, Phillips needs to stand up and take control of his team.  Yes, Owens is a commanding presence on the team, and he is an extremely valuable player to have.  But at some point, someone must stand up and say, “This is how it is going to be.” 

Not only does Phillips need to make a stand, but quarterback Tony Romo needs to do the same.  Off the field, Phillips is the play caller.  On the field, it is up to Romo to do what he feels is best, depending on what defense he is facing. 

Owens is not the quarterback.  He is just the wide receiver who is supposed to catch the ball when it comes his way.  His job is to do what he is told.  Phillips should not let a talent such as Owens push him around.  He is one of the most prolific receivers, but there is no “O” in team.  Owens, Phillips, and Romo need to realize that. 

In time, the Cowboys will fix what went wrong against the Redskins.  But more than anything, Owens needs to realize that he needs to be a part of the team, not the entire team.  If he can come to that realization, the Cowboys will win.  They are too good not too.