Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
JAIME ARON
Associated Press
IRVING, Texas - The last time the Dallas Cowboys played the Philadelphia Eagles, the buildup was all about Terrell Owens - just the way he likes it.
Sorry, T.O. This Christmas afternoon rematch is about something far more important: deciding the NFC East champion.
That will definitely be the case if the Cowboys win. A victory would seal Dallas' first division title since 1998, the last full season that Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin played together.
If the Eagles win, they'll need to follow with a victory over Atlanta in the finale to seal their fifth division title in six years. Philadelphia also could do it by beating Dallas and losing to the Falcons, but only if the Cowboys end up losing their finale at home against lowly Detroit.
It would be a stunning rally for the Eagles. Coming off their T.O. tumult of 2005, the Eagles were 5-5 when they lost quarterback Donovan McNabb to a knee injury. They dipped to 5-6 when Jeff Garcia lost his first start, forcing them to take a losing record into December.
"That was even more reason for people to believe that this team couldn't battle through those difficult times and find a way to turn around," Garcia said.
Then how did they do it?
"I really give credit to my teammates, the coaching staff and the people within the organization for believing in themselves, continuing to battle week in and week out even when everybody else was counting us out," he said.
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid kept his spirits up with some encouragement from a surprising source.
"Coach Parcells called me up and told me not to be pessimistic," Reid said. "He relayed to me the story of about when (Phil) Simms went down and they had the quarterback change and they kept on winning at a championship-caliber level. If I had any plan of keeping my head down, he took care of that."
Say what you want about potentially helping a division rival. To Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, sharing the story of his 1990 New York Giants was treating a younger coach the way older coaches had treated him.
"There's kind of like a little kinship even though you're rivals," Parcells said. "When I was a young coach in this league, several of the more senior coaches, several, not all but several, took time for me. I'm not trying to be corny or anything, but I made up mind that if I was ever in that spot I would always do that for any young coach, and I have done that."
Considering how things have turned out, does he regret it?
"No," Parcells said. "If you've got to be doing something on Christmas, it might as well be something important."
More important than, say, Owens' return to Philly, the story that dominated the focus of their first meeting in early October, a game the Eagles won 38-24.
"It's about us going and winning the division," Cowboys cornerback Aaron Glenn said. "One of our goals is to do that, and it's on the line right now, staring us in the face. These are the games you love to be in. This is what you play this game for, to be in situations like that. Either you're going to do it or you're not."
Even T.O. says there's nothing personal at stake.
"No, not at all," said Owens, who leads the league in touchdowns (11), dropped passes (11) and spitting fines (one for $35,000). "I feel like we've gotten ourselves in a situation where they're trying to be, and we can eliminate them. We're just going to go out there and do what we've been doing since Romo's been at quarterback and just try to get a win."
Ah, yes. The Tony Romo factor.
Dallas is 6-2 since Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe, a move Parcells began considering more seriously after the veteran was sacked seven times and threw three interceptions against the Eagles. Despite it all, Bledsoe had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but threw his final pick, which Lito Sheppard returned 102 yards for a touchdown.
Romo has been so good in his half-season that he made the Pro Bowl earlier this week. His rise has been so phenomenal his teammates are starting to believe anything is possible for this team.
"I talked to Santa," Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears said. "And I think we're going to get this W on Monday."