From T.O., sympathy, empathy, even humility

Magnanimous guy that he is, Terrell Owens sent Tony Romo a text message yesterday telling him that no matter what happened against the Eagles, no matter how awful the quarterback played, he would shed tears for him again, the way he did last season after Romo stumbled against the New York Giants in the playoffs.

And Romo was indeed awful, unable to lead the talented Cowboys into the playoffs, or even into the end zone, as the Eagles humiliated them, 44-6, before a delighted crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.

"I just told him, no matter what, I'm still the same guy who shed tears for him at last year's press conference, and I'd do it again, because that's the type of person I am, regardless of what anybody thinks or says about me," Owens said.

For anyone expecting T.O. to point fingers at his teammates or coach, or to express resentment that his former team had won what was basically a playoff game to go to the playoffs, what they expected did not happen.

Maybe T.O. was gracious because he got his - 103 yards on six catches. Maybe he was still in shock and not in complete command of his thoughts. Whatever. He said he knew Dallas would get the best from the Eagles regardless of whether they had been knocked out of the playoffs before the kickoff.

"Those guys fought and hung around all year long," Owens said. "There was a lot of adversity going on here, and I know the makeup of that locker room, and I know the makeup of that coach. And he had those guys ready, and everything pretty much fell in their favor, with all the teams losing for them, and they gave us a butt-whipping.

"You've got to give credit to the Eagles. They took advantage of their opportunities. They took advantage of the turnovers we committed."

For the Cowboys, it was a shocking conclusion to a season they entered as one of the Super Bowl favorites. They have not won a playoff game since 1996 and will not even have a chance to do so this season. If they are still America's Team, standards in this country have slipped considerably.

But T.O. said he would be on board with whatever changes the Cowboys make during the off-season. He even offered to help owner Jerry Jones get things straightened out, if Jones asked him.