FORT WORTH, Texas—In the beginning, Jerry Jones told us he was going to be in charge of everything, including socks and jocks, plus he didn’t want any “dogs” for cheerleaders.

Again, that was in the beginning. As a quote machine, the Dallas Cowboys owner has been relentless. Maybe the best in the jock kingdom business over the last two decades.

And on behalf of anyone who works the media business, I thank him for that.

But there does come a point . . .

It was last week, Thursday to be exact, when Mr. Jones was being his usual media-friendly self at a Cowboys OTA practice session. Many topics were being discussed, including a question about some sniper activity in the Buffalo area.

In hardly a shocker, the dearly departed Terrell Owens has begun a blame-wave campaign aimed at Valley Ranch for his rather abrupt exit from the Cowboys a couple of months ago.

Nothing serious. Nothing unexpected. With much more to come. Owens has not even fully cranked up yet. The verbal shots at a Jason Garrett or Tony Romo have actually been rather tame. That will change.

With this fool, it is always the fault of someone else. Never the fault of his own self.

Jerry, of course, can’t help himself. Being just flat stubborn, he had to inform the local media army Thursday that, yes, he follows the words of Mr. Owens religiously, even now from afar.

“I read carefully what’s written,” said Jones. “I’m interested.”

The logical next question: Why? Why would you even care? “He’s credible with me,” came the amazing answer. “That’s what makes it interesting.”

Now look, Owens is a lot of things, starting with talented on the football field, and a smart manipulator of the weak and the gullible, particularly in his own locker room.

But credible? Somewhere out there on the vast sports landscape, there might be a more self-serving, excuse- making, overrated, paranoid pile of selfpity. . .

But if so, I’d like a name. Owens couldn’t catch credible if it hit him in the hands. Of course, he doesn’t catch a lot of things that land there.

Reading all this, then why the heck was Owens run off by Jerry? And as Jerry reminds us, only he can make that decision, and Owens is wrong if he thinks Garrett or Romo has anything to do with it.

Side note to Jerry: You sounded real stupid. No more than two hours after Jerry was

speaking at Valley Ranch, Owens was speaking to AOL Fanhouse about his release from the Cowboys. The man can’t stop crying, except this time he went above the usual targets of Garrett and Romo.

Owens aimed much higher. Right at Jerry. “I’d say it hurt,” he boo-hooed. “I was very

disappointed, especially when you established a lot of trust gained for three years that I was there, and when someone blatantly tells you you’re not going anywhere on two different occasions, and you’ve established that bond.

“If you don’t have a man’s word, and it doesn’t stand for anything, there’s really nothing left and there’s not a whole lot of trust.”

How credible is that, Jerry? Owens is calling you a liar. Bottom line: Jones, or no one else, can win playing the

“nice” game with this guy.