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IRVING – Chad Ocho Cinco was just kidding about all that star-kissing business.

At least that's what the colorful Bengals wide receiver, better known as Chad Johnson, claimed after the Cowboys kept him out of the end zone, preventing him from having an opportunity to follow through on his promise to celebrate a touchdown by smooching the logo on the field. All that talk was simply a stunt to get him pumped up to play after an awful September.

"If I did score, I wasn't kissing the star anyway," said Johnson, who posed for a pregame picture with Terrell Owens and Jerry Jones. "I wouldn't do that. I know what that signifies here. I understand and respect that. I respect Dallas and Mr. Jones and the organization too much to even do that. It was just a little incentive."

Wait a second. Wasn't the star kissing supposed to be the ultimate show of respect?

"It is, but I don't think it would have went over well anyway," said Johnson, who made his desire to become a Cowboy clear during the offseason and reiterated the point this week. "I think somebody would have tried to flip it into a negative."

OK, Ocho Cinco, so what did you have planned to punctuate a touchdown at Texas Stadium?

"Nothing," he said. "Just give the ball to the ref. I mean, we're 0-4. I celebrated when we were winning and things were going well. Things are not going well right now, so there's nothing to celebrate."

■ Way to hustle, Wade Phillips: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips will be criticized by some folks for the Cowboys' lackadaisical performance after taking a 17-0 lead, so it's only fair to give him props for his hustle.

Phillips doesn't exactly have a sprinter's physique, but man, he sure got moving when he challenged a call in the second quarter. He ran all the way down to the 5-yard line to make sure the officials saw his red flag. The ruling on the field, a Bengals completion to the Cowboys' 2, was overturned, basically causing a four-point swing.

Of course, as a member of the mean, ol' local media, it's my duty to point out that Phillips has lost a lot of arm strength since his days as a Port Neches-Grove quarterback.

■ Quick hits: The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders' alumni provided the halftime entertainment. They wore jerseys and jeans, but their conservative attire didn't keep a bunch of gray-haired scribes in the press box from reaching for their binoculars. ... A disgruntled Bengals fan, wearing a Rudi Johnson jersey while sitting in the row in front of the press box, had a classic sign that borrowed from the old Peanuts cartoons to rip Cincinnati's owner. "GOOD GRIEF MIKEY BROWN. YOU'RE A BLOCK-HEAD," it read. There was a picture with Jerry Jones playing the role of Lucy, pulling the ball away as Brown tried to kick it.