'How the Hell?!' Terrell Owens on Cowboys' Darren Woodson vs. John Lynch in Hall of Fame

Terrell Owens is rising to the occasion for fellow former Dallas Cowboy Darren Woodson, favorably comparing him to current San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch.

T.O. is making a case for a fellow former Dallas Cowboys star to join him in the H.O.F. Toeing the line in the active rivalry between the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, Terrell Owens, who received a call to Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, is hoping to be bust neighbors with safety Darren Woodson. 

And he's wondering “how in the hell?'' Woodson's not in the Hall but John Lynch is.

The duo's Dallas paths never crossed: Woodson's 13-year NFL career played out in full with a starred helmet while Owens began a brief and eventful stay two seasons later (2006-08). But when Owens first rose to prominence with San Francisco (1996-2003) and Philadelphia (2004-05), the dates against the Cowboys were always treated with caution thanks to Woodson.

“When I got with the Niners ... I didn’t know anything about no rivalry with the Cowboys and the Niners, I knew nothing about that,” Owens said on Fubo's "Getcha Popcorn Ready" show alongside fellow former NFL receiver Andre Reed. “But when it comes to the game plan (it was about where is Woodson)?"

When Owens arrived in San Francisco as a third-round pick in 1996, meetings between the Cowboys and 49ers often decided the NFL's Super Bowl fate. In their first meeting, a 20-17 Dallas victory in November 1996, Woodson helped limit Owens to a single five-yard reception while also picking up a sack and interception.

While Owens eventually solved the Cowboys (earning 532 yards and seven scores in six more meetings), he always kept an eye out for Woodson. Owens even publicly wondered how Woodson, a staple in the Cowboys' three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s, wasn't invited to the Hall of Fame before John Lynch, the 49ers' current general manager.

"John Lynch did some great things here and there, but I’m not looking for John (on the field)," Owens said. "But when I played from my rookie year on, and I played against the Cowboys, I had to identify (where Woodson was). ... Yeah, he has to be accounted for that day because you’re game-planning. ... But I wasn’t scared of (Lynch)."

Woodson, a 2015 inductee in the Cowboys' Ring of Honor, was named a finalist for the 2023 Hall of Fame class but ultimately fell short of induction. Despite that, there will be no lack of Dallas representation in Canton next month, as Chuck Howley and DeMarcus Ware will each have their busts revealed. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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