Cowboys Temporarily Silence T.O., Critics With Offensive Explosion

TAMPA -- There's a saying among bitter ex-Cowboys. If you can't say something bad about the Dallas offense, don't say anything at all.

Expect Terrell Owens' Twitter page to be very quiet the next few days.

What could he say about an offense that had three touchdown bombs, a quarterback who hit a career-high passing yards, and a head coach who actually looked like he knew what he was doing?

"Gee, maybe Dallas was right to dump me."

You'll hear that from T.O. when Mexico City freezes over. But perhaps by the time Buffalo freezes over, he'll go in a confessional box and tell a priest he wishes he were still a Cowboy.

Shocking as it may seem to him, not only is there life after T.O. in Dallas , the offense looks healthier than it has in years.

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"We're the most talented offense in the league," Roy Williams said. "We have guys who can do multiple things."

Oh, and one more thing:

"It's all about winning," he said, "not individual performances."

Whether Williams meant it or not, that served as a nice dig at his former teammate. Owens could also do multiple things, like turn into a paranoid receiving diva if Dallas won and he only caught only two passes.

Nobody with a star on their helmet was complaining Sunday after the Cowboys beat the Bucs, 34-21. Before we go any further, it must be noted that this is not your father's Tampa Bay defense.

It's more like your son's, since head coach Raheem Morris is younger than Jerry Jones' face. He was the secondary coach last year, and Tampa Bay apparently decided to save money by not hiring a replacement.

The Bucs' secondary broke at the most inopportune times in Morris' debut -- you can bet the Giants won't be so fragile next Sunday night in Dallas. But the Cowboys cleared up a few aggravating questions at Raymond James Stadium.

"Everyone was wondering if this was a dink-and-dunk offense," Wade Phillips said. "It's not."

They were also wondering whether Tony Romo was a dinky quarterback with a great dating resume. And if one-time offensive coordinating whiz Jason Garrett had lost his way. And if Phillips will be dangling from the Cowboys' new scoreboard if Dallas doesn't win a playoff game for the first time in 13 years.

Of course he will. But the Cowboys appear to have a few answers. Like players who don't mind sharing the ball and a quarterback who can be pretty darned good at distributing it.

Romo had 353 yards passing and three touchdowns -- Patrick Crayton had an 80-yarder, Miles Austin a 42-yarder and Williams a 66-yarder. Throw in running backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones and tight end Jason Witten, and what do you have?

Not the best offense in the league, as Williams said. But enough of one to keep defensive coordinators guessing. Especially when you throw in one other thing.

"I couldn't be happier for those wide receivers," Witten said.

Funny, you never heard that out of Owens. He even went to Garrett last season and complained that Witten was getting too many passes thrown his way. Keeping Owens happy became Job One for Garrett, at least until Jones realized the whole T.O. experiment was a bust.

He was released and Twittered all the way to Buffalo how Romo and Garrett ran him out of Dallas . At least he didn't call Romo a homosexual, as he intimated when he had his falling-out with Jeff Garcia in San Francisco .

Of course, it's hard to make that charge when Romo's love life gets more coverage than Jennifer Aniston's. It wasn't just T.O. wondering about Romo, however. Dallas luminaries Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman questioned his leadership, all of which has means it's time for Romo to prove some people wrong.

He started on Sunday, and it wasn't just his passing. The Cowboys had no turnovers, just three penalties and delivered a big I-Told-You-So to skeptics.

"You'll never hear that come out of my mouth," Williams said.

It was hard enough hearing "T.O." come out of the Cowboys' mouths, though Williams couldn't resist one reference.

"Romo had a career-high in passing yards?" he said. "Without T.O.?"

He pretended to be shocked. Somewhere in Buffalo , somebody probably didn't have to act.

Owens would point out it's still a long time till December, when Dallas traditionally self-destructs. But at least he won't be there to push the button. That alone will make the next few months a lot more pleasant for the Cowboys.

"We haven't answered anything yet," Austin said. "The questions will still be asked every week."

So far, the answer is not one T.O. wants to hear.