Jan10th Article: 'Phillips insisted that the receiver is still a game-time decision.
"You think he's going to play, you don't think he's going to play, that's where I am. We'll see," Phillips said. "No, I don't think it would be a surprise (if Owens plays), but it would be a nice present."
Jones said it is a "very legitimate game-time decision" and that one consideration would be if playing could threaten Owens' availability for future playoff games if the Cowboys beat New York.
But Jones then made it clear that, "Sunday is the major point of emphasis, and any decision will be made risking most anything to have success Sunday."
Plus, Jones knows it would be hard to keep Owens out if the receiver wants to play.
"I haven't said `no' to Terrell Owens since I gave him the check," Jones said. "There's no question that he's going to say that he wants to play. ... Terrell knows his situation better than any trainer, or any doctor or certainly than Wade or anybody else. He knows his situation very well, and you're going to have to count on him to use a little bit of judgment."
Fellow receiver Sam Hurd said Owens has spent "like 19 hours out of his day" trying to get back on the field and expects T.O. will play.
"He tells me all the time, opportunities like this don't come around every season, so he wants to take advantage of them," Hurd said. "He believes in this team so much that he wants to get out there and help this team get to the Super Bowl."
Dallas Cowboys to benefit from Owens' radical rehab
09:37 PM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wade Phillips thinks Terrell Owens will play Sunday against the New York Giants.
You couldn't possibly be surprised.
T.O. is blessed with great genes, which help his recovery. But the one aspect of his ability to heal quickly is the relentless way he attacks rehab.
He works harder to get restore his body than he does when he's on the practice field.
He went through rehab on Christmas Day. And New Year's Day. He's been working after hours on the Mavericks' underwater treadmill, which allows him to condition without putting stress on his ankle.
He spends virtually every waking hour trying to get his ankle healthy enough to play and be the difference-maker the Cowboys need him to be to end their 10-year playoff drought.
The Giants won 11 games. They have won eight straight on the road. They led the league in sacks.
They are a worthy opponent and the Cowboys need T.O. to beat them. He understands this.
That's the reason he's worked so hard to get back in time for Sunday's game.
• Just wondering if Wade Phillips still is having a good ol' time in Big D? Hey, there are five other teams that would love to have home-field advantage throughout, but right now, there's not a whole lot else good going on with the Cowboys aside from having Terry Glenn on the field. For the second time in three weeks, Dallas was held to six points. And Sunday, with Tony Romo in the lineup, the Cowboys were limited to just 86 yards through three quarters. For both the team and Jason Witten's sake, Dallas had better get Terrell Owens back soon. Witten has just four catches in the six quarters since Owens went out with a high ankle sprain against the Carolina Panthers.
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LANDOVER, Md. – The Cowboys ended November as the NFC's hottest team, and their offense was second only to New England's.
They end December with a 2-2 record; they failed to score a touchdown in the two losses, and their offense, minus Terrell Owens, isn't anywhere close to the league's finest.
Maybe none of this will matter in two weeks. Maybe Wade Phillips is right and the Cowboys will play great.
If Owens duplicates the recovery from injury he made to play in the Super Bowl three years ago, the Cowboys could indeed be Super Bowl-bound.
On Sunday, they were very earthbound. Without the deep threat of Owens, the Cowboys endured their worst rushing day ever, gaining a single yard against a spirited Redskins team that earned its way into the playoffs with a 27-6 victory.
If Owens is anything less than 100 percent when he returns from the ankle sprain he suffered in Carolina, the offense is in trouble.
Since Owens went out last week, the Cowboys have played more than six quarters and produced all of 12 points."
