Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: SPORTS

Media Credit: MCT Owens

After hauling in seven receptions for 213 yards in a 35-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens left the game with a smile on his face, but donít expect that to last long.

Earlier last week, Owens went on the NFL Network for an interview. He criticized his coaches and said the offensive system they are using is not beneficial to his stats, and without his stats, the Cowboys can't win.

The game against San Francisco was the first in 14 tries for Owens to top 100 yards receiving.

So has he lost a step?

Not in his mind. In the interview, Owens said the Cowboys' lack of success springs from not getting him the ball enough. He said that with more catches, championships would inevitably come.

This is Owens' 13th season in the league, and he is nearing many career receiving records, but something is missing: a championship.

Owens has always been productive but it hasn't amounted for much. The closest to winning a Super Bowl he ever got was when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Owens was hurt for the entire playoffs that year, and though he played well in the Super Bowl, he couldn't shoulder any of the blame for the loss saying that the Eagles quarterback was too nervous and sick.

He has torn teams apart with off-the-field antics and thrown his past quarterbacks under the bus by calling them gay or blaming them for big losses, but nothing is Owens' fault.

In the NFL Network interview, Owens said that while he was with the Eagles and the 49ers, they used a west coast offense to scheme ways to get him the ball. But if Owens is the elite receiver he thinks he is, he should be able to get open by himself.

With five games left and the Cowboys having to face some of the toughest defenses in the league - the Eagles, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburg Steelers - expect Owens to look to the coaches to get him the ball.

The sad thing for Cowboys fans now is that if Dallas loses and Owens doesn't have the statistics he wants, he can look back at last weekís game against the 49ers and say, "See what happens when you get me the ball?"

Regardless of how the season plays out, the drama should be intriguing to watch, and one thing is for sure: You better have your popcorn ready.

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