Just in case anyone thought he was serious Wednesday when he proclaimed his quarterback's latest girlfriend "not a fan favorite," Owens explained he was merely having fun with a subject that's been tossed about by others for days.

T.O. being T.O., however, the story took on a life of its own. He was driving home Wednesday afternoon when friends told him about the ruckus. He wound up on the phone with Romo, who'd already heard from Simpson.

"I guess she was kind of upset about it," Owens said. "(I) just told him I would do whatever I can to rectify the situation. That's about it."

Owens said the call "wasn't necessarily an apology."

"I was just kind of explaining to him what kind of happened during the course of the (interview) session," Owens said. "I kind of told him what was said, and he kind of expressed what Jessica had told him. I was like, 'Look, dude, it wasn't meant like that. Everybody was having fun, and I was saying what I had to say. There it is, it's a big story."'

Owens said he thought things were fine between him and Romo. The quarterback's take on all this is unknown because he hasn't talked to reporters since immediately after a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Questions then focused on his poor performance and injured hand — not his girlfriend.

Romo has been the Cowboys' starting quarterback for a little more than a year and already has taken the glamour of the position to new levels. He's dated singer Carrie Underwood and actress Sophia Bush, plus been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant.

A photo of him and Simpson is on the cover of the current edition of People magazine. TV cameras caught her in a luxury suite wearing a pink No. 9 jersey during the game against the Eagles.

Backlash from fans followed — either because he played poorly in a game she attended, because people don't like her songs and movies ... or, both.

Still, it took Owens' comments to turn the relationship from gossip-page fodder to sports-page controversy. The momentum continued Thursday, when the offshore gambling Web site Bodog.com posted odds on how long the couple will be together. It's 2-1 they'll go at least six months, 6-1 they'll be done within a month.

The site's also taking bets on whether Simpson will attend another Cowboys game before the Super Bowl. (Odds are against it.)

Back at team headquarters, the big question Thursday was whether Owens has caused a distraction.

He didn't think so. Neither did most of his teammates, who've been laughing all along.

"She's been to two other games that we've won, but nobody ever said anything about them," receiver Patrick Crayton said. "Maybe she was his good-luck charm. Nobody ever stated that."

The Cowboys won the other games she attended. It's just that TV cameras didn't show her cheering on her man. But all eyes were on her Sunday.

"She did what she had to do as far as being there in support of Tony," Owens said. "Other than that she doesn't run any routes, she doesn't throw any balls, she doesn't catch any balls."

Perhaps the ultimate proof of whether Owens and Romo are OK will come Saturday night in Carolina. Will No. 81 have many balls come his way?

Owens considered that question a setup for another attempt at humor: "If I don't get the ball this week, then I am going to have to go to Hollywood and bake some cakes or something and find me a Hollywood star or something."

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips threw in his own zinger: "A lot of our players have girlfriends, wives and significant others. Some of them may have both."