Dallas Cowboys wide receiver insists previous Philly drama wasn’t his fault

Tonight’s showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles comes following a week of drama that has included some controversial comments by Eagle-turned-Cowboy Terrell Owens against his former quarterback.

“The fans and just the excitement of me coming there and being there, it became too overwhelming for Donovan,” Owens told the Associated Press Thursday of his stint in Philadelphia. “I think at one point in time, I will say that we had a good relationship. I think I got too big for Philly, too big for him. I just feel like in a sense that he felt like I was just probably getting too much attention.”

The Eagles dismissed Owens during the 2005 season — a year after they went to the Super Bowl — following a series of infractions, including repeated criticism of McNabb and the organization.

“I feel strong about my position and what happened in Philly, and I really don’t feel like it was my fault,” Owens said.

Meanwhile, McNabb told reporters on a conference call he and T.O. did enjoy a good relationship before things went sour.

“We had great times here. … It’s unfortunate the way things ended up,” McNabb said. “But he’s happy where he’s at and I’m happy where I’m at.”

Asked if Owens was a changed man, McNabb said he didn’t know. “I’m just a guy on the outside looking in,” he said.

Owens also spoke about the close relationship he once shared with McNabb, which included visits to each other’s houses to watch Monday Night Football and mix drinks.

“He was the bartender or I was the bartender. We gave ourselves some alias names and we had a lot of fun,” Owens said. “We had a lot of teammates come over and enjoy that. It was a situation where things didn’t work out in Philly and now I’m here.”