By Sunday we will be tired of hearing about T.O.’s return to Philadelphia, but what really matters is what kind of team is Philadelphia going to put on the field to face the vastly-improved Dallas Cowboys?

Believe me, the Eagles will be hard-pressed to beat the Cowboys if cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood are sidelined once again. It's one thing stopping the Green Bay Packers with NFL Europe star Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn playing in the secondary and quite another asking those guys to shutdown Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn.

Yes, the Eagles have scored 24 or more points in four consecutive games, but do you think they can hit that magic number once again without Brian Westbrook, Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown? I mean, there is nobody in the Green Bay secondary that could start for the Cowboys. Well, maybe safety Nick Collins.

Westbrook’s inflamed right knee kept him on the sidelines Monday night and Stallworth left the game with a sore hamstring. Brown has a bruised shoulder.

The good news is that Greg Lewis, a former buddy of T.O.’s in Philadelphia, snapped out a slump with touchdown catches of 45 and 30 yards to break open a tight game with Green Bay in the third quarter. Eagles coach Andy Reid has had high hopes for Lewis and he finally delivered. Who knows if Lewis will play under control on Sunday?

Considering this game is as much about Donovan McNabb as it is Owens, fans should recognize that McNabb has played pretty well (138 attempts without an interception and second-lowest --2.17 -- interception ratio in league history) this season. Can McNabb, who definitely was questioned by some teammates over the feud with Owens, win this grudge game without a full complement of receivers, primarily Westbrook?

The word in Philly is that Westbrook rested Monday in order to give himself a chance to play the Cowboys.

Colts' special teams woes

Colts coach Tony Dungy needs to fix his special teams, but regardless of those concerns his team has showed a remarkable grittiness considering how many starters are ####ed up on defense.

Internally, though, the club is scratching its head on why defensive tackle Corey Simon, who was paid a ton of money to leave the Eagles, hasn’t dressed since arthroscopic left knee surgery almost two months ago. Simon continues to have more tests while Colts GM Bill Polian continues to say, “We just don’t know when he’ll be back.”

The Colts aren’t even sure he’ll play in three or four weeks in conference showdown games with Denver and New England. Believe me, there is some impatience in the front office with Simon.

Speaking of the Colts, New England running back Laurence Maroney was the player Polian wanted to draft in the first round and then the Colts tried to make a deal with Chicago (the Bears eventually traded with Buffalo) for its first-round pick, eyeing Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams. Maroney is off to a tremendous start in New England; just think how good he’d be in Indianapolis.

Kudos to the new commish

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deserves high marks for suspending Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for five games without pay. His loss will further hurt the winless Titans while leaving the player short $190,000, an unprecedented amount and time for an on-field incident.

I said Sunday night that the financial punishment should start at $150,000, so Goodell went beyond that. The union and Haynesworth may appeal the punishment, but the league will vigorously defend its case against the player. Goodell and the league won’t back down.
 
There are enough physical traumas on the football field with injuries and concussions – just look at Chris Simms and Trent Green and Dan Morgan -- without condoning one player assaulting a defenseless player, which was exactly the case in Tennessee on Sunday.

Moss just doesn't care

Who knows what’s really going in Oakland, but Randy Moss sounded like he couldn't care less about the Raiders’ sad state of affairs on his weekly Fox Sports radio show. Moss was criticized by reporters for failing to make an effort on a deep pass and again for not contesting two other throws during Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. Moss basically said that he isn’t the only unhappy soul in the Raiders’ locker room, which makes you start wondering if the team shouldn’t make some trades and clean house a little.

Everyone’s heard that the Raiders might be interested in Chris Simms if the Bucs don’t sign him to a free-agent contract, but who says Simms would want to be in Oakland?

Mario gets his sack

It was great seeing No. 1 pick Mario Williams finally get a sack in the NFL and get excited. In fact, Williams finished with 1 ½ sacks of Daunte Culpepper last Sunday. But both plays were simply hustle plays by Williams. It wasn’t like he whacked an offensive tackle off his stride or put a Julius Peppers-like move on a Miami blocker. After neither play did I hear anyone say, "Wow, look at that!"