NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The hats, T-shirts, jerseys and even a helmet were coming at such a rapid pace that Jerry Jones could not keep up.
Standing inside the open-air visiting owner's suite at LP Field as his team was on its way to a comfortable 45-14 victory against Tennessee on Sunday, the Cowboys owner and general manager signed as many autographs as he could from the fans sitting below.
"It's been so long since I've been asked for one," Jones joked, "I almost forgot how to do it."
The Cowboys needed an outcome like Sunday's after what life had been like since their last game.
So much had happened since the Cowboys beat Washington, 27-10, at Texas Stadium on Sept. 17:
• Receiver Terrell Owens was rushed to Baylor Medical Center with what Dallas Police first called a suicide attempt and later classified an accidental overdose on hydrocodone.
• Receiver Terry Glenn needed several stitches to close a gash to his left thumb suffered when he was attempting to cut a string out of his shorts.
• Tight end Jason Witten became a father for the first time, and Jones became a father in-law for the third time when Jerry Jr. was married in Portofino, Italy.
"It was nice to get on the field and play ball," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said.
So dominant were the Cowboys that they were able to overcome a poor start and their first early deficit of the season when the Titans (0-4) turned an opening series interception into a field goal.
On the next drive, however, the Cowboys went 80 yards on 12 plays. Julius Jones picked up 40 yards on six carries and Bledsoe completed 5-of-7 passes, including a 13-yard floater to Glenn in the corner of the end zone.
Another 13-yard Glenn touchdown reception capped the Cowboys' next drive, and the Titans would get no closer than eight points the rest of the day.
"I just wanted to keep distance between us because I knew the crowd would get into the game here if we didn't," coach Bill Parcells said.
Stoked because of Vince Young's starting debut, however, the announced crowd of 69,143 was quiet once the game started.
The Cowboys made sure they had little to cheer about.
• The 45 points were the most scored by the Cowboys in the Parcells era and the most since Oct. 22, 2000.
• The 31 second-half points tied for the second-most in club history.
• Jones ran for a season-high 122 yards, and the Cowboys finished with 217 rushing yards, the second-most under Parcells.
ERICH SCHLEGEL / DMN
Marion Barber (left) stiff-arms Tennessee's Lamont Thompson.
• Bledsoe threw a touchdown pass in his ninth straight game, the longest active streak in the NFL.
• Cornerback Aaron Glenn came up with a turn-the-tide interception to start the third quarter that was quickly turned into a Jones touchdown run.
• Linebacker Bradie James scored the first touchdown of his career when he returned Young's second interception 15 yards to give the Cowboys a 38-14 lead with 8:23 to play.
Things were so good that Mat McBriar had to punt only once.
"I'm going to enjoy this plane ride home," Parcells said. "I'm going to go home and have something to eat and relax, OK. So I ain't getting into next week now."
Ah, yes, next week.
The Cowboys travel to Philadelphia, bringing Owens back to the city that loved him in 2004 when he helped the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX and now despises him.
But on Sunday, Owens, who caught five passes for 88 yards despite a surgically repaired right hand, was not in the mood to talk about his return to Lincoln Financial Field.
"We'll talk about next week, next week," Owens said.
After what Owens went through, you can excuse him from wanting to jump into the game of hype surely to come this week.
"Hopefully, this is the start of something good for us," Aaron Glenn said. "We have a huge game next week, which I expect every star out there to be at the game or watching the game. This is something we're all looking forward to probably more than the others."
E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com
| LATE AND OFTEN |
| The Cowboys' 31 second-half points tied for the second-highest total in club history: |
| Points | Date | Opponent | Result |
| 36 | Nov. 24, 1994 | vs. Green Bay | 42-31 victory |
| 31 | Sept. 29, 1968 | at Philadelphia | 45-13 victory |
| 31 | Nov. 17, 1968 | at Washington | 44-24 victory |
| 31 | Oct. 1, 2006 | at Tennessee | 45-14 victory |
