Morning Report: T.O. remembers the tights

Eagles coach Andy Reid told Dallas reporters in a teleconference yesterday that he was happy things had worked out for Terrell Owens, and that he wishes the receiver well - even though they are in the same division.

T.O. laughingly refuted his former coach's comments.

"He still wishes I was there. Don't let him sell you those lines," Owens said, adding that he had a good relationship with the coach.

"By far, Andy is one of the better coaches I have had. Only thing I didn't like was he didn't let me wear my tights. Other than that, we were good."

Funny how everything seems different in retrospect.

What's with that? From 1920 through 1984, the United States failed to win the Olympic gold medal in the men's 4x100-meter relay only twice: in 1960, when the U.S. team was disqualified for stepping out of its lane; and in 1980, when the United States boycotted the Games in Moscow.

But since 1988, the United States has won only two of the six 4x100 relays.

Now, after watching both U.S. relay teams drop the baton in the 4x100-meter preliminaries in Beijing, and seeing the U.S. men win only four gold medals, USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan has decided to form a panel of former athletes and coaches to analyze USATF's high-performance programs.

Logan noted that since 2003, in world championship and Olympic competition, there have been eight 4x100-meter-relay medal opportunities. In four of the eight, the U.S. teams failed to make the finals. From 1999 through 2003, Americans won medals in seven of eight 4x100 relays.

"We need to determine what has changed in the last four years," Logan said.

And the last 20.

Bottom 10. Boy, how much fun must the Bay Area be this fall?

The Los Angeles Times listed its Bottom 10 in the NFL after the first week of action, and Oakland is No. 1 with San Francisco No. 2.

What a guy! Tony Romo: Pro Bowler, playboy quarterback and, apparently, a Good Samaritan handy with an air compressor.

A couple says Romo helped them patch a flat tire on the side of a busy street last weekend after the Dallas Cowboys star returned home from a season-opening win at Cleveland.

Bill and Sharon White told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that at least 100 drivers ignored their broken-down Mercury before someone stopped late Sunday. Sharon White said a well-dressed man "with something strange on his chin" walked up and offered a hand.

Romo needed 13 stitches after his chin was split open in a 28-10 win over the Browns. He bent down and helped the Whites get their faulty air compressor to fill up the tire.

Sharon White said she asked twice before Romo confirmed her suspicions about the do-gooder's identity.

"I did something no 50-year-old woman should be doing, but I screamed real loud, and then jumped up and hugged him," Sharon White told the newspaper in yesterday's editions.

Bill White had a different reaction.

"Don't tell me how you guys did," he said he told Romo. "I'm going home to watch it."

More Tony. Romo is coming off his 11th career 300-yard game out of 27 starts.

Only Hall of Famer Troy Aikman (13) has more for Dallas.

More T.O. Owens has 130 career touchdown catches, tied for second on the career list with former Eagle and Viking Cris Carter. Jerry Rice tops the list with 197.

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