Crazy night last night. I was supposed to go "On the DL", but for some reason my power went out (so Dan and Nick just made fun of me for an hour). When it came back on, ESPN was magically the last channel I was on, and out of nowhere, it popped up. The Cowboys release Terrell Owens.

My first reaction was shock, because I really didn't think they'd do it, but my second feeling was that of relief. Relief that Ed Werder can finally do his job again! Here is the clip from ESPN last night, and listen closely as Stuart Scott gives you the important details of Owens' career....

"He was just MVP of the Celebrity All-Star Game, for the second year in a row."- Stuart Scott

Ummm okay? Thanks for that bit of nonsense, Stu. I love the look on Neil Everett's face at the time. Too funny. Oh and I fully expect T.O. to be a Redskin by the end of the week. Good times!

I promise this is the last story on this whole "feud". Well at least until Owens, or another Cowboy, goes all "Bobby Bonilla" on Ed Werder in the locker room. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News actually got a hold of Werder, and this is what the ESPN reporter had to say about the situation....

"I was shocked," Werder said. "I've been covering the Cowboys since 1989 and I have never been put in a position like that. It was a first."

When the two saw each other in the post-game news conference, Werder reports, "He called me a name but it wasn't a profanity."

Werder, it should be pointed out, was not the only reporter to deal with last week's series of Owens-related events. In fact, he wasn't the first to report the Owens-Roy Williams-Patrick Crayton trip to Jason Garrett's office. Nor was he the first to report on the alleged skirmish between T.O. and Witten. Werder's Thursday report was primarily on T.O.'s effect on Romo. In that report, he quoted Bradie James on his role in mediating and relied on unnamed sources.

Werder thinks what T.O. really wants is to know who Werder's sources are. "I think that's his frustration in all of this. He wants to know who in the locker room I talked to who obviously doesn't respect him and I won't ever tell him that."

I'm still inclined to believe Werder in all of this, and he should never give up his sources if he doesn't want to, but it was ultimately a questionable decision on his and ESPN's part to go with the story. Especially when you consider all of the hype the "Leader" fed into Dallas right before, and at the start of the season. Werder made a few thousand enemies in the state of Texas, and if the Cowboys are such a huge ratings draw, it definitely wasn't the best idea to go with a story that is based on rumor.

But then again, Jerry Jones basically said that any press is good press, so this rift will probably not be an issue going forward.

T.O. talked to NBC; Ed Werder talks here (DMN: Sports Media Blog)

Not that I didn't expect this to come (I really didn't think it was necessary), but ESPN has released a statement staying that they stick by their reporters as well as the reports they provide for the network. Deadspin has the short but quick quote from the "Leader"....

Even though Terrell Owens went out of his way to single out the supposedly "made up" reporting of ESPN's Cowboy specialist Ed Werder, the WWL is sticking by their mustachioed menace.

"We stick by our reporting" is the official, unsurprising quote from ESPN officials after Owens' rant. Werder was questioned by many people about his anonymous sources that launched a week's worth of melodrama in Big D, but given Terrell Owens' history of torpedoing his own team, it didn't seem implausible that some Cowboys were getting sick of his antics. Werder's been the target of a spirited YouTube video and had his Wikipedia page completely altered since his initial reports surfaced, bringing more attention to the fiasco.

I really never thought of Werder as someone who would make reports up, and really just thought he was annoying, but I guess anything is possible. The best thing would be for everyone to just ignore it for a few weeks, trade Rachel Nichols from Patriots coverage to 'Boys coverage, and have Werder in New England. People can be stubborn though, and it will be interesting if anything breaking comes out of the Big D, via ESPN, over the next week or so. I'm guessing it will be pretty quiet around the "Ranch".

ESPN Backs Up Ed Werder: "We Stand By Our Reporting" (Deadspin)

(P.S.- I absolutely love that photo of Werder above. It's like a middle school yearbook shot, but without those cool purple lasers you can pay extra for.)

On Saturday, S2N posted a video of a Cowboys fan who was extremely pissed at Ed Werder and letting him know it in person. Well apparently that guy wasn't the only person upset with Werder. You can add T.O. to that list as well.

NBC got Romo, Witten and Owens together after their win over the Giants tonight, and while they all seemed to be enjoying each other's company, Terrell had this to say to the ESPN reporter....

I'm so sick of this story that I almost didn't pull the video, but it's just too funny that the Cowboys now hate the one reporter ESPN keeps at Valley Ranch. The deal that Ed and the Cowboys have, has always been shady, and I hope this time Werder made it so awkward that the Cowboys will deny him access. And in turn we'll have less Cowboys coverage!

I mean, it's not going to happen, but a boy can dream right?

Cowboys Fan Heckles Ed Werder (Awful Announcing)

You're probably well aware that Ed Werder has been filing reports for ESPN about the turmoil within the Dallas Cowboys locker room, which is likely not much different from most teams -- except there are cameras around them all the damn time, whether invited by Jerry Jones or attracted by ESPN's need to fill content.

Well, one fan didn't much like the fact that Werder's report about T.O. losing his cool was mostly made up of anonymous sources, and said as much while Werder was trying to do a live shot or record a look-live. (NSFW for language, if you happen to be working this weekend.)



Hat tips and fist bumps to Larry Brown Sports for the vid.

ESPN just broke the news before noon, that Tony Romo is going to miss the next four week's with a broken pinky finger. Apparently the credit is going to Michael Smith today, which is surprising since Ed Werder actually leaving at Valley Ranch, and here's the video....

The channel has already made the switch to "Cowboys and Romo TV", and look for it to stay that way for the rest of the day. We've already heard from a handful of analysts, and while it's definitely a big story, but by the time we get to Monday Night Football....we'll be in overkill territory.

P.S.- ESPN is also breaking the news that Big Brown is going to be retired, and Tommy Bowden has been fired, as well.