IRVING, Texas — Their names are Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin. They don't go by their initials, don't have a reality TV show and don't do anything more brash than Williams favoring a kelly green cap for his beloved, burnt-orange Texas Longhorns.

One game into the season, though, they've already proved themselves capable of replacing Terrell Owens for the Dallas Cowboys.

The big-play void supposedly created by T.O.'s departure sure didn't exist in the opener. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dared Tony Romo and the Cowboys to beat them deep, so they did, hitting Austin for a 42-yard touchdown, Williams for a 66-yard TD, and Crayton for an 80-yard score.

Romo wound up with a career-best 353 yards and Dallas won 34-21. Just like that, Romo and the Cowboys answered one of the biggest questions facing them this season, even if they brushed it off as no big deal.

"We knew what we could do," Williams said yesterday. "What have we proved? It's one game. Talk to me in Week 10 or 12. Then we can brag. This was just one game."

Owens averaged 78 catches for 1,196 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Cowboys over the last three seasons, helping Romo develop from a third-stringer to a Pro Bowler. They also hooked up for more touchdowns than any quarterback-receiver combination in the NFL. So it was only logical to wonder how he'd be replaced, especially considering how little Romo relied on the other wide receivers last year.

It was a dysfunctional formula. Romo tried keeping Owens happy by getting him the ball early and often, but the flip side was that he never got in a groove with his other targets. By season's end, even the Dallas players were complaining about how predictable they'd become.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made sure that changed by cutting Owens. Then offensive coordinator Jason Garrett redid the playbook, emphasizing formations that give Romo plenty of options and defenses plenty of decisions.

"I don't have to think, 'Oh, this guy's over here, or that guy.' You just go through it, react and throw," Romo said. "Whoever that guy is, he gets it. That's a good sign because I don't have to worry that this guy just might not win because he's an average player."