An overdue apology will not be enough to get Terrell Owens on the field Monday night. It seems likely nothing will get him back in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform.
As the Eagles start putting the Owens saga behind them, a team many expected to return to the Super Bowl is now just out to show it can contend for the playoffs minus the volatile superstar when the archrival Dallas Cowboys come into Lincoln Financial Field.
Though Eagles management has no plans to play Owens the rest of this season, and the players union's grievance won't be heard until Nov. 18, agent Drew Rosenhaus held out hope his client would be back with the team immediately.
"We hope he plays right away," Rosenhaus said. "We hope he plays against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night."
That's probably a bad idea considering the kind of negative reaction he would receive from what would be an enraged horde of Philadelphia fans, despite the remorseful comments Owens read Tuesday from a prepared statement.
To every single Philadelphia Eagles fan out there that cheered for me, I want you to know that I am sorry this has happened. To you, I apologize," said Owens, speaking alongside Rosenhaus in front of his Moorestown, N.J. home he has put up for sale.
"To my teammates, a lot of you have been a friend to me and I appreciate that. I can't tell you how much I wanted to fight along your side to take this team to victory."
Owens went on to apologize to Donovan McNabb and coach Andy Reid for his most recent degrading comments about the team and the quarterback, but it does not appear Philadelphia will budge.
The apology came too late because the Eagles had already suspended Owens for four games, after which they plan to deactivate him for the rest of the season. Owens was placed on the reserve/suspended list Wednesday.
"It really hurts me not to be part of the team anymore," he said. "I came here to help the Eagles get to the Super Bowl and win the big game."
Now most have written off Philadelphia's chances to get back to the Super Bowl despite the team having won two playoff games last season without an injured Owens.
"That's what scares me. They're probably going to pull closer together," Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell said. "They're going to prove we can do this with who we have on the team right now. ... I'm looking for them to play the best they've played all year. We've just got to be ready to go."
Since acquiring Owens, however, the Eagles are 0-3 in the regular season when playing without him.
His absence could cause Reid to finally use the ground attack more often, and he did give Brian Westbrook a season-high 17 carries last week against Washington. However, Westbrook rushed for just 24 yards, Reid still called for 15 more pass plays than rushing attempts despite a close game throughout, and the Eagles lost 17-10.
McNabb's pass on fourth-and-4 at the Redskins' 7 was intercepted with 1:25 to play as the Eagles fell to .500. A loss Monday would give them a losing record in November for the first time since 1999.
"Obviously it is tough losing a guy of (Owens') caliber, his ability, but I think we might be better off," said McNabb, who went 22-of-35 for 304 yards.
"I think what we did tonight, we showed that we played well together. I think we also showed that when given the opportunity, guys can make plays for us. We're 4-4. We're not 1-7. I think that's the way to look at it."
Rookie Reggie Brown is Owens' replacement, and he did a pretty good impression of the All-Pro wideout last week. Brown had five receptions for 94 yards, including a 56-yarder for his first career touchdown.
Philadelphia's league-worst rushing attack is going up against a Dallas run defense which has held its last four opponents to an average of 63.3 yards on the ground. That stretch began with the Cowboys holding the Eagles to 19 rushing yards in a 33-10 win Oct. 9.
That contest could have marked a turning point for both teams, and in this rivalry.
It was just the second win in the last 11 meetings for Dallas, which now looks to end a seven-game slide in Philadelphia. While that victory also began a 3-1 run for the Cowboys that's put them within a game of first place in the NFC East, the Eagles have gone 1-3 to fall into last place.
That matchup also saw Cowboys leading rusher Julius Jones leave with a sprained ankle after running for 72 yards in the first half. Jones hasn't played since, but with Dallas coming off a bye, he is expected to return Monday.
He could share carries with Marion Barber, who rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns in Dallas' 34-13 rout of Arizona last Sunday.
Keyshawn Johnson, who caught Drew Bledsoe's lone TD pass in that win, went through a similar situation to what Owens is dealing with. Johnson was sent home for the final six games by Tampa Bay in 2003 after he criticized coach Jon Gruden.
While Johnson would not comment on Owens' situation, coach Bill Parcells said he would not change his team's approach and is counting on Reid to have the Eagles very motivated.
"I expect to get a good effort from them. They've always given a good effort," Parcells said. "It's Monday night. They're at home. Why wouldn't you expect that?" | 
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