All Eyes on Parcells, Owens.

Wow, just wow. This guy is my new favorite writer.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/football/15739351.htm

All eyes on Parcells, Owens

By Randy Galloway

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

The Philly hangover lingers locally, with a flare-up Wednesday at Valley Ranch, but also including a grassy knoll theory on Bill Parcells that came from, yes, Philly.

First, in Irving, our man Eldorado Owens exhausted even media members with a calm but ongoing poor-me routine.

According to Eldo, he's being excluded from the passing game by evil forces, and it hurts so much he goes home at night and sits alone in the dark.

(There's another 911 joke involved here somewhere, but I'll skip it this time.)

Meanwhile, Parcells also had his Wednesday answers on that subject.

Bottom line, there was no sympathy from him on the plight of Owens.

Which leads us to a sports page columnist in Philadelphia, citing "those close to Cowboys' players," opining it was as much Parcells as the Eagles' defense that spoiled, with humiliation, the hate-fest homecoming of Owens.

Something about Parcells not wanting to deal with the ego combustion if there had been a glorious return.

So, as this story went, the play-calling was geared to shut the mouth that loves to roar.

Two things on that:

(1) Parcells' ego is every bit as large as that of the wideout lugnut. And his coaching legacy is also of high personal concern. The legacy has already been damaged in his Valley Ranch tenure.

To win that game Sunday, Parcells would have gotten the ball to Osama, Tom DeLay or Mark Foley if it would have helped achieve that goal.

(2) As the coaches always say immediately after a bad scene: "got to look at the film." The film never lies. Your eyes might.

Then again, amateur eyes (mine) watching from the press box can be tricked.

Like Owens saying Wednesday, among many things, "it's not like I haven't been open. Have I been closely defended? Seriously."

Eldorado has been open consistently? And he wasn't closely defended, shut down and slapped around by the Eagles' cornerbacks, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown?

Seriously?

I was believing my eyes, and not Owens.

But best take this up with people who study the film. The film always has the truth.

"What it looked like," said one scout, "is the Eagles defense had practiced so much against [Owens] in the past, they knew exactly how to play him, and how to take him out of the game."

The corners got up tight on both Cowboys receivers at the line of scrimmage, then the Eagles played two-deep with the safeties.

There is nothing revolutionary about that.

But either Sheppard or Brown consistently stayed in Owens' grill, roughing him up, and frustrating him.

"What am I here for?" Eldorado admitted Wednesday to saying after the game.

Immediate answer:

You are here to get open.

The film showed Owens wasn't open enough to have any complaints.

And what about that Drew Bledsoe pass so poorly underthrown when Owens was behind the coverage in the fourth quarter?

Those who looked at the film all called it a "strange route."

On the play, Owens took off with a burst of speed, slowed down, then took off again. The problem was the pass already being in the air before the second burst.

When it was intercepted, Eldorado did what you would expect. He performed the double chin-strap snap, showing his disgust, and showing up his quarterback, who was already having enough trouble as was.

But while most of us (the media) blamed Bledsoe for throwing a "duck," there is a debate among those in-the-know about exactly who was at fault.

"Bill needs to get [Owens] a playbook," joked one scout. "I don't think he knows the routes."

I'd also add that Big Bill needs to get himself another quarterback, but that's another argument.

Maybe Eldorado was actually telling the truth with his postgame comment of "I need to work harder."

One constant echo this week has been that Owens is loafing on some routes, and appears confused about where he's supposed to be on others.

Which may have something to do with a spring and early summer of attending NBA playoff games, and of a training camp spent atop a stationary bike in Oxnard.

At the moment, this guy is Jerry's $10 million disaster.

Your eyes can lie, but the film never does.

And let it be known that Mr. Jones himself, who certainly has a personal and financial interest in Eldorado's well being, praised the intended game plan in Philly.

"I saw the game plan, and it was all about getting the ball to Terrell...both our receivers, actually," Jerry said postgame.

On Wednesday, Owens declared himself a proven playmaker who should have this offense tailored his way. As opposed to, say, Terry Glenn? That's stupid.

But get open, and run the right routes. It might happen for Eldorado.

Meanwhile, 12 games to go. How soon does it blow? The clock ticks, and Owens whines more than ever. The fuse is lit.

tick tick tick.....

I remember in the offseason when people were talking about what would happen to TO. I knew TO would cause a meltdown in Dallas, but never this soon.