Dallas CowboysOne day after an ugly victory against the Bengals, the sensitivity level remains high for a Dallas Cowboys NFL team that is starting to feel the pressure of their Super Bowl-or-bust journey.

Linebacker Bradie James echoed the sentiments of quarterback Tony Romo and said he refused to be ashamed over the victory, however ugly.
"We played well enough to win the game," James said. "I know everybody is going to say whatever, but I never apologize for a win. There are no bad wins."

James said the Dallas Cowboys have been critical of themselves. But he said they refuse to be critical in public because the media will blow it out of proportion.

James said the Dallas Cowboys positive outlook comes from head coach Wade Phillips, who said Monday that complaining isn't coaching.

"I think it's important that you feel good about yourself no matter what," Phillips said. "I think you can go overboard certainly, and I think I know where the line is, especially with the NFL team. With the press and the media, I defend the team more than I do with them. When I talk to them some things are a little bit different because I want to tell them exactly what I think.

"I want to defend them when people are attacking them or if I feel like they're attacking them so I remain positive. I tell the guys how it is and what we need to do better and we didn't do this or that good enough."

One week after getting 18 passes thrown in his direction against the Redskins, wide receiver Terrell Owens had just three passes come his way against the Bengals. Yes, one was a game-winning 57-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. But it was the culmination of a trying week and the indication that the controversy surrounding Owens' involvement in the Dallas Cowboys offense is not going to go away.

Owens cried on the sideline after the touchdown. After the game, he read a one-minute speech to the media and left without taking questions.
--The Dallas Cowboys had one interception after four games. Only the winless Lions shared that dubious stat. So count the Dallas Cowboys relieved they got an interception on the first play from scrimmage against the Bengals. But no one would have guessed that linebacker Greg Ellis would be the one making that pick.

"When it happened, we all looked at each other on the sideline," defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. "I'm sure if anybody had a pool going, nobody had Greg Ellis getting that first one."

"If you took that to Vegas, you'd really be rich right now," said Ellis, who now has three interceptions in his 10-year career.