"Today," he bellowed, "they unleashed me."

Not really.

Sure, T.O. caught seven passes for 213 yards. And his 75-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown certainly served as the catalyst.

But his terrific performance in the Cowboys' 35-22 win over San Francisco had absolutely nothing to do with being unleashed. And it had nothing to do with his self-serving interview on the NFL Network.

Trust me, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett didn't change the offense one bit to accommodate No. 81.

That's what Garrett said. Jerry Jones agreed. So did Wade Phillips. And Tony Romo.

I'm inclined to believe them more than T.O., who said the offense was tweaked and included a few new wrinkles. Maybe, it just looked different because San Francisco didn't put a cornerback in his face.

It's unfathomable that Mike Singletary, a Hall of Fame middle linebacker, studied video all week, watched pedestrian cornerbacks shut down T.O. with bump-and-run coverage and chose not to use the same approach.

"Nate is a good Football player. Nate can cover T.O.," Singletary said of cornerback Nate Clements. "He did not today, but I'm not going to sit here and make excuses for him. I just think we did a bad job, and it's as simple as that."

The Cowboys took advantage of the 49ers' stupid game plan, in part, because Tony Romo used his elusiveness to keep plays alive until T.O. could get open. He did it on the 75-yard touchdown pass that gave the Cowboys a 7-6 lead. Three series later, he did it on a 45-yard catch-and-run that set up a field goal, giving Dallas a 15-6 lead.

See, this is the same offensive system T.O. spent the week griping about.

The 49ers simply used coverages that allowed T.O. to make some big plays. Next week, Jason Witten might have a huge game. Or Roy Williams. Or Patrick Crayton.

The beauty of this offense is it has so many weapons that it forces the defense to pick what it wants to take away, giving other players an opportunity to shine.

T.O.'s first 100-yard performance of the season ended a streak of 13 consecutive games without one, and an equally ignominious streak of five straight games with fewer than 40 yards receiving.

T.O. knew he needed a big game after whining about the offense and questioning whether Garrett was smart enough to put him in position to succeed. Phillips and Garrett each said T.O. had an excellent week of practice, especially on Thursday.

No one has ever questioned his effort or work habits. The problem with T.O. is nothing is ever his fault. The idea that he bears no responsibility for his decreased production is a joke.

You saw the best and worst of T.O. in this game.

He caught passes of 45, 52 and 75 yards. The Cowboys totaled 17 points on those drives. He also dropped two passes and nearly dropped the 14-yard, fourth-quarter catch that put him over the 200-yard mark.

"Everywhere I've been, I've been consistently involved in the offense. When I get my hands on the ball, things happen," T.O. said. "It's not a mystery. You go from what I've done here, in Philly and San Francisco. Nothing's changed."

What's changed is that he's two weeks from turning 35. No one eludes Father Time forever.

T.O. remains a quality player, but let's not act like he's the same receiver he was at 25. Or 30. He doesn't run quite as well, struggles against bump-and-run and drops too many passes. One magnificent game doesn't change that.

Or my belief that Williams is this team's best receiver.

Still, T.O. remains capable of dominating a game when a team like the 49ers doesn't respect him.

He proved it Sunday.

Wild stuff

NFC teams fighting for two wild-card spots, with the records of their remaining opponents. Green Bay and New Orleans play tonight.

Team Rec. Opp. rec.

Tampa Bay 8-3 27-27

Washington 7-4 26-27-2

Atlanta 7-4 25-29

Dallas 7-4 32-22-1

Chicago* 6-5 24-29

Minnesota* 6-5 30-25

Green Bay 5-5 27-38

New Orleans 5-5 34-31

Philadelphia 5-5-1 35-20

Cowboys' top receiving days

Yards Player Opponent Date

246 Bob Hayes at Washington Nov. 13, 1966

241 Frank Clarke Washington Nov. 16, 1962

223 Lance Rentzel Washington Nov. 19, 1967

213 Terrell Owens San Francisco Nov. 23, 2008

213 Tony Hill Philadelphia Nov. 12, 1979

210 Michael Irvin Phoenix Sept. 20, 1992

203 James Dixon at Phoenix Nov. 12, 1989

203 Kevin Williams at Arizona Dec. 25, 1995

Owens' top five

The top five receiving games for Terrell Owens

Date Team Rec.-Yards-TD Result

Dec. 17, 2000 San Francisco 20-283-1 d. Chicago

Nov. 23, 2008 Dallas 7-213-1 d. San Francisco

Nov. 3, 2002 San Francisco 12-191-0 d. Oakland

Oct. 14, 2001 San Francisco 9-183-3 d. Atlanta

*Jan. 5, 2003 San Francisco 9-177-2 d. NY Giants

*playoff game