Time will tell. But what we do know is that Owens will turn on Romo as soon as the Cowboys experience any kind of adversity, which they may be doing now after Williams’ suspension, the desultory loss to the Eagles and the uproar over Romo’s bad-luck charm.

I don’t believe that a quarterback has to come from a major college football power and be a first- or second-round draft pick in order to be a winner in the NFL. I do know, however, that if you’re Tony Romo and you were undrafted out of Eastern Illinois that confidence is vital to your success. And I know that Terrell Owens can cause enough of a stir inside the lockerroom and out on the blogs and public airways to chip away at whatever confidence Romo has built up.

It’s not necessary here to explore T.O.’s vast body of work in this department. Suffice to say that when he’s happy and getting everything he wants, he’s relatively productive and cooperative. But when things go awry, he is not the most stoic leader.

The Cowboys need all the help they can get anyway. They’re having a wonderful season. Their record is 12-2, and they have already clinched the NFC East. Yet the division is less than formidable, and for that matter, so is the conference. The Green Bay Packers and perhaps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers serve as the primary obstacles to a Super Bowl berth.

They need help because they have T.O., and by virtue of the fact that he’s going after Jessica Simpson publicly it means it’s that time again when he craves attention, and that could spell doom to the Cowpokes. The Jessica phenomenon, combined with the Carrie Underwood effect, makes it appear Romo might want to keep dating and football as separate pursuits. But do we need T.O.’s two cents on this?

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Soon we will have T.O. arguing with Keyshawn over Jessica, refereed by Parcells. If you don’t feel a wave of nausea yet, you’re not human.

If Owens does decide to go postal, Jerry Jones will only have himself to blame. I warned him, as did many others, about the perils of retaining Owens’ services. But Jerry and T.O. are kindred spirits. They both love the spotlight, even at the expense of success on the field. The Cowboys could get by without Owens. When he’s on, like he was in the 37-27 win over Green Bay a couple of weeks ago when he had seven catches for 156 yards and a TD, he’s useful. When he isn’t, as in his three catches in the win over Detroit and the two against Philadelphia, he’s just a tirade waiting to happen.

Actually, if it’s true that Owens is indeed warming up and preparing to treat the football world to one of his classic meltdowns, the Cowboys may find that having Jessica Simpson in the house, however much the little minx may be a jinx, would be less disastrous to the team’s fortunes than having T.O. in it.

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