COWBOYS OFFICIALLY DUMP OWENS, WILLIAMS

The Dallas Cowboys finally have formalized the release of receiver Terrell Owens and safety Roy Williams. “Terrell Owens was a very productive player who performed at a very high level for all three of his years here in Dallas,” said owner Jerry Jones. “But we have made a decision to move forward without him. “In the aftermath of the season, we talked about change. Some of what is changing involves the process and some of it involves people. “This is a decision that was made based upon consideration for an entire team. We will move on now with a new team -- a new attitude -- and into a new stadium. The evaluation process and the prospect for change will continue at every level of the organization.” In those 105 words, Jones said plenty. He essentially admitted that all of the stories about dissension in the locker room were true, even though he had said they’re false. He also has acknowledged that significant change is needed. So why hasn’t he fired the head coach? Jones’ comments contradict the notion that he has been out of touch when it comes to the state of his team. The fact that he has not engaged in sweeping change, then, reinforces our suspicion that the combination of a sagging economy and the opening of a billion-dollar stadium might have prompted Jones to avoid the cost of buying out Wade Phillips (and the highly-compensated Jason Garrett) and then hiring their replacements.