Terrell Owens was supposed to talk with the 49ers' press corps Wednesday, a much-anticipated event considering he hadn't held court with the Bay Area press since his 2004 departure.

Alas, Owens canceled at the last second. The Dallas Cowboys said the receiver caught some kind of bug.

"He's a little sick," quarterback Tony Romo said. "They called in the backup."

Romo filled in as the interview subject, but the topic stayed mostly the same. The talk was still about Owens, as it so often is, in sickness and in health.

It helps that Romo understands Owens. Previous quarterbacks, notably Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, clashed with the tempestuous receiver.

But not Romo.

Why is that?

"I don't take what people say in the moments of emotional situations to heart," Romo said. "I understand that as human beings, we all make mistakes in some ways.

"I don't ever judge anybody or hold anybody to any standard higher than I'd hold myself to. I think it's allowed me to just accept people for who they are and what they are."

Romo added that he and Owens recognize that their success hinges on each other. By that measure, it has been a beautiful friendship. Since 2006, Romo and Owens have hooked up for 30 touchdown passes, making them the highest-scoring quarterback-receiver duo in the NFL.

The New York Giants' Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress are second with 26 touchdown passes during that span; Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are third with 24.

The Cowboys' duo is so tight that when Romo went out with a pinkie injury, Owens essentially went down with him. In the three games Romo was sidelined, Owens didn't top 36 yards in a game. His longest catch was 19 yards. He had just one touchdown.

Romo returned Sunday, at Washington, and completed 19 of 27 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions.

"Hmm, I wouldn't say I had (the velocity) all there," he said. "Different throws I was able to get different amounts of it on. ... I suspect this week it'll be back to my pretty full velocity."

Owens should be ready, too, although Coach Wade Phillips held back on saying so for sure until he could check the medical report.

Owens has faced the 49ers only once since then, in 2005, when he torched cornerback Mike Rumph and an overmatched secondary for five catches, 143 yards and two touchdowns (including a 68-yarder) in a 42-3 victory in Philadelphia.

Those are his good days.

On his bad days, when passes aren't coming his way, T.O. stands for ticked off.

And that's fine with Romo.

"Every great receiver wants the football," the quarterback said. "Just because some players don't call it out in the media doesn't mean they don't act the same way on the sidelines and stuff."

In Dallas' high-powered offense, Romo has plenty of targets, including tight end Jason Witten and recently acquired receiver Roy Williams.

But he might personally deliver chicken soup to his ailing receiver this week. Owens has 137 career touchdowns (including two rushing), a total that trails only Jerry Rice (208), Emmitt Smith (175) and Marcus Allen (145) on the all-time list.

Owens has 30 career games with multiple touchdown catches, ranking behind only Rice (44).

How much higher he goes on those lists depends on his buddy Romo.

"I understand that he's not a bad person. He's actually a really good person. He wants to be a good person," Romo said. "He'll say things once in a while that (the media) will jump on and things of that nature, but I don't ever let it affect me and it doesn't affect our friendship.

"I'm not a prideful guy. I can accept certain things. You just move on. You just go."