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Distracted Cowboys face Titans on Sunday

Sep 26, 2006 - 9:29 PM Dallas (1-1) at Tennessee (0-3) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The most bizarre and disturbing twist in the Terrell Owens saga has overshadowed Sunday's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans.

WFAA-TV reported Tuesday night that the temperamental star wide receiver of the Dallas Cowboys ingested prescription pain pills in an attempt to commit suicide, which Owens unequivocally denied.

"There was no suicide attempt," Owens said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference at the Cobwoys' training facility. "There was a report about me taking 35 pills and that's absurd. I don't think I would be here right now if I took 35 pills."

Claiming he had an allergic reaction after taking "two or three" prescription pain pills along with his dietary supplements, Owens was rushed to the hospital Tuesday night. The pain pills were administered to Owens after he underwent surgery for a broken right ring finger September 18.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, called 911 on Tuesday when it appeared to her that Owens was "not coherent" and "not in a normal responsive state."

Owens was treated by paramedics and rushed to Baylor Medical Center. He was released from the hospital Wednesday morning and even attended practice in the afternoon, catching passes from quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo before meeting the media.

One of the NFL's premier receivers on the field, Owens has been a major distraction off the field. The Cowboys are getting a taste of that but clearly knew what they were in for, although this story trumps all the others.

Owens played just seven games with the Philadelphia Eagles last season before the club banished him for conduct detrimental to the team. Before that with the San Francisco 49ers, Owens criticized quarterback Jeff Garcia and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp before demanding a trade.

Signed to a three-year, $25 million contract in the offseason by Dallas, Owens missed most of the Cowboys' preseason practices and all but one exhibition game due to a hamstring injury.

Owens returned for the Cowboys' regular-season opener vs. Jacksonville, catching six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He suffered the broken finger early in the game against Washington on September 17 and played through the pain before leaving late in the fourth quarter.

Drew Bledsoe silenced some of his critics by throwing for 237 yards and two touchdowns in Dallas' 27-10 victory over the Redskins.

Terry Glenn had six catches for 94 yards and a TD against the Redskins.

The Titans are looking to avoid their first 0-4 start since they dropped their first 10 contests in 1984 when they were known as the Houston Oilers.

With the Titans' slow start, coach Jeff Fisher has decided on going to Vince Young - the third pick in April's draft - as his starting quarterback. Young had played sparingly in the first two games before Kerry Collins went the whole way at quarterback in last Sunday's 13-10 loss at Miami.

It has been a major struggle for Collins, who has completed less than 47 percent (42-of-90) of his passes for 549 yards and one touchdown with six interceptions. His 42.3 rating is ahead of only Ben Roethlisberger among starting quarterbacks.

Things could get tougher for the Titans this week since the Cowboys are coming off their bye week.

This is the first meeting between the teams since 2002.