Victorious Jaguars don't believe the T.O. hype

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Mike Peterson, only two weeks removed from a knee injury that put his playing in the opener in doubt for much of the past 14 days, received the extra impetus he needed to play as he walked inside the lobby of the team's hotel early Sunday morning.

Fred Taylor is anxious to prove that the Jaguars are not pushovers. (Getty Images)

Peterson caught a glimpse of the local newspaper, and like the talk for all of last week, it was all about a certain receiver who goes by the initials T.O.

"It's the first thing I see," Peterson said. "It was all about T.O. Don't they realize we have players on this team, too? Byron Leftwich. Fred Taylor. Marcus Stroud. All the guys on our defense. I mean, man. In our own city?"

That was the feeling pretty much for the entire team. How much Terrell Owens talk can one team take? That's why the Jaguars' resounding 24-17 victory at Alltel Stadium felt so damn good to those players.

It's why as they ran into the locker room, the tunnel underneath the stadium was filled with a cacophony of Owens rips, using some not-so-nice language -- much of it aimed at the media assembled nearby.

"----- Terrell Owens," some players yelled. "--- Terrell Owens."

It wasn't so much that they dislike Owens -- several Jaguars, such as safety Deon Grant and quarterback Leftwich, consider him a friend. It's just that they grew tired of hearing about him and the Cowboys all week long.

The game may have been on national television, but you could have sworn there were two Cowboys teams playing. Not one Jaguars defensive player was interviewed during production meetings for the game, which is rare when an offensive player such as Owens is on the other side.

All the network pregame shows featured Owens and Owens and more Owens. Then there's that four-lettered network that essentially has a correspondent assigned to Owens full time.

Can you say obsession? They might be guilty of stalking.

And then came the ultimate sign of disrespect: The Cowboys were favored on the Jaguars field after opening as a three-point underdog.

"They acted like there was one team on the field," Jaguars corner Rashean Mathis said.

Dallas is America's Team. The Jaguars aren't even Florida's team, not with the Dolphins and Bucs owning the state.