Mike Celizic

PHILADELPHIA - Not in my memory has any city welcomed back a former player with as much frenzied animosity as Philadelphia rolled out for Terrell Owens on Sunday. And when the day was done, the Eagles showed why they were wise to cut him loose in mid-season last year, while Owens left little doubt that, if things continue the way they are, the Cowboys will quickly learn how foolish they were to think he could help them.

If this was a battle between Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, the target of Owens’ wrath last year, and the most self-celebrated wide receiver in the history of the game, then McNabb won. The Eagles are just fine without T.O., and the Cowboys aren’t with him.

The battle between McNabb and Owens wasn’t as much a contest as the game itself, which the Eagles won, 38-24, the final seven points coming on a 102-yard interception return by Lito Sheppard with time nearly expired.

Owens showed a lot of frustration on the field, but he didn’t get into any sideline fights with coaches or teammates. Don’t worry, though, that will come if the Cowboys continue to play as they did Sunday.

The first hint came after the game, Owens, who was smiling from ear to diamond-studded ear, let it be known that he’s a team guy and wasn’t going to point fingers at anyone. But he invited the media to watch the game films to see for themselves who was responsible for his team’s missed opportunities. The inference may as well have been forged in neon letters 20 feet high — Cowboy quarterback Drew Bledsoe blew it.

Adding to the fire, when T.O. was running off the field after the game, he was loudly asking why the Cowboys bothered to sign him, an unnamed stadium employee said, according to the Associated Press.

Owens clearly enjoyed the invective and boos the home crowd directed at him, saying that he thought it could have been worse. But the game was another matter.

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He was shut out in the first half by an Eagles’ defense that was bound and determined not to let him beat it, and finished the game catching three passes from his soon-to-be-former best buddy Bledsoe for 45 yards and no touchdowns. He dropped at least three others and was badly underthrown on two more, both of which were picked off by the Eagles.

McNabb, who last year wasn’t worthy of occupying the same huddle with the great and powerful T.O., finished with 354 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for another TD. It’s safe to say he doesn’t miss Owens in his huddle.

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The win lifted the Eagles’ record to 4-1, their only loss coming via an epic fourth-quarter collapse against the Giants. The Cowboys, who have already had their bye week, dropped to 2-2.

Owens is trying as best he can to pretend to be a team player. “We win as a team, and we lose as a team,” is one of the clichés he threw out, all of which he constructed using the pronoun “we” instead of “I” or “me.” You could almost see his tongue cramping up as he worked it around the unfamiliar words.

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But it was clear he wasn’t happy with the way he was used during the game, which wasn’t a great deal. He talked about the team missing a lot of opportunities. He was asked whether one of those took place in the fourth quarter, when he broke behind the Eagle defense near the goal line only to see Bledsoe’s attempt at a high fade fall short into Sheppard’s arms.

“I felt I was open,” he said, finally hauling out the first person singular of which he is so fond. “There were opportunities for me to make some plays.”

Asked who was responsible for missing those chances, Owens played coy. “You watched the game,” he said, inviting the media to decide for themselves “who’s pulling the trigger?”

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