Football: Cowboys' Owens not insisting on headliner status
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Terrell Owens signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March, he gave the impression he wanted to be the offense's leading man.
"Get your popcorn ready," Owens said, "because it's going to be a show."
Six months later, Owens said he remains confident the offense will entertain. But after watching fellow receiver Terry Glenn and tight end Jason Witten perform in training camp and the preseason, Owens seems prepared to blend into an ensemble cast rather than insist on being the headliner.
"We're going to give some defenses some fits," Owens said last week. "They're going to have their hands full."
The Cowboys certainly hope that will be the case today when they open against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Alltel Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m.
Owens said the Cowboys' array of offensive weapons reminds him of the skill players San Francisco employed in the 1990s.
"I'm familiar with all those guys — Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry (Rice), Brent Jones, John Taylor," said Owens, a former 49ers star. "So I know we've got a lot of weapons."
He also said he's confident quarterback Drew Bledsoe won't have any problem finding an open receiver.
"It's not going to be a situation where they can kind of double-team one guy," Owens said. "If they try to double-team Terry, then Jason will get in the mix, and on the other side, I'm going to get into the mix. I've been facing double-teams my entire career, so I know there will be opportunities for other guys and vice-versa for me."
Owens enters his 11th pro season with 716 catches for 10,535 yards and 101 touchdowns. But those numbers have been overshadowed in recent years by the headaches he caused his teammates and coaches in San Francisco and Philadelphia, which suspended him for the final nine games last season for criticizing quarterback Donovan McNabb and the organization.
The Cowboys ignored Owens' past and signed him to a three-year deal worth $25 million that included a $5 million signing bonus. A hamstring injury forced him to miss much of training camp and limited him to only 19 plays in the preseason, but he practiced each day last week and said he's "ready to go."
"He hasn't had any problems that I know of since he returned to practice," coach Bill Parcells said.
In an effort to make up for lost time, Owens and Bledsoe worked together extra.
"Our timing is getting there," Bledsoe said. "It's a work in progress and will continue to be for as long as we're together. But it's coming along fairly quickly and is probably ahead of where you might think, considering the limited time we've been together."
Parcells had little to say about how big a role Owens would play in the team's game plan today. But Parcells did hint that his offensive staff has worked overtime to figure out ways to best utilize all the weapons.
"The thing you have to be careful with is there are a lot of possibilities here," Parcells said. "Every idea that you have to utilize somebody talented like Terry or Terrell or (running back) Julius (Jones) or Jason Witten is a good one, but you can't get to them all. So you've got to zero in on the things you do well."
With that in mind, the Cowboys streamlined their playbook.
"Our game plan this Sunday will have probably 25 less plays in it than at any time last year," Parcells said. "We want to do fewer things better."
Express-News Staff Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Terrell Owens signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March, he gave the impression he wanted to be the offense's leading man.
"Get your popcorn ready," Owens said, "because it's going to be a show."
Six months later, Owens said he remains confident the offense will entertain. But after watching fellow receiver Terry Glenn and tight end Jason Witten perform in training camp and the preseason, Owens seems prepared to blend into an ensemble cast rather than insist on being the headliner.
"We're going to give some defenses some fits," Owens said last week. "They're going to have their hands full."
The Cowboys certainly hope that will be the case today when they open against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Alltel Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m.
Owens said the Cowboys' array of offensive weapons reminds him of the skill players San Francisco employed in the 1990s.
"I'm familiar with all those guys — Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry (Rice), Brent Jones, John Taylor," said Owens, a former 49ers star. "So I know we've got a lot of weapons."
He also said he's confident quarterback Drew Bledsoe won't have any problem finding an open receiver.
"It's not going to be a situation where they can kind of double-team one guy," Owens said. "If they try to double-team Terry, then Jason will get in the mix, and on the other side, I'm going to get into the mix. I've been facing double-teams my entire career, so I know there will be opportunities for other guys and vice-versa for me."
Owens enters his 11th pro season with 716 catches for 10,535 yards and 101 touchdowns. But those numbers have been overshadowed in recent years by the headaches he caused his teammates and coaches in San Francisco and Philadelphia, which suspended him for the final nine games last season for criticizing quarterback Donovan McNabb and the organization.
The Cowboys ignored Owens' past and signed him to a three-year deal worth $25 million that included a $5 million signing bonus. A hamstring injury forced him to miss much of training camp and limited him to only 19 plays in the preseason, but he practiced each day last week and said he's "ready to go."
"He hasn't had any problems that I know of since he returned to practice," coach Bill Parcells said.
In an effort to make up for lost time, Owens and Bledsoe worked together extra.
"Our timing is getting there," Bledsoe said. "It's a work in progress and will continue to be for as long as we're together. But it's coming along fairly quickly and is probably ahead of where you might think, considering the limited time we've been together."
Parcells had little to say about how big a role Owens would play in the team's game plan today. But Parcells did hint that his offensive staff has worked overtime to figure out ways to best utilize all the weapons.
"The thing you have to be careful with is there are a lot of possibilities here," Parcells said. "Every idea that you have to utilize somebody talented like Terry or Terrell or (running back) Julius (Jones) or Jason Witten is a good one, but you can't get to them all. So you've got to zero in on the things you do well."
With that in mind, the Cowboys streamlined their playbook.
"Our game plan this Sunday will have probably 25 less plays in it than at any time last year," Parcells said. "We want to do fewer things better."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:01 AM
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