Cowboys receiver talks with Phillips, also discusses year outlook
By CALVIN WATKINS
The Dallas Morning News
The family environment new Cowboys coach Wade Phillips wants to instill at Valley Ranch started Saturday with a call from wide receiver Terrell Owens.
"I told him it meant a lot to me," Phillips said. "It was a good talk."
After Phillips was hired Thursday, reporters repeatedly asked how he would handle Owens. Phillips said he would treat the receiver as a member of his family.
Owens tracked down Phillips' cellphone number and called him.
"I think it's funny, but I'm good friends with Jim Farris [who played for Phillips in Atlanta in 2003] and he said, 'Dude, you will love Wade Phillips,' " Owens said from Miami. "He's a players' coach, and he's been there before. I guess from an offensive standpoint Wade is a kind of guy who wants to get his playmakers the ball."
Owens is one of the Cowboys' playmakers. He led the team in catches (85), yards (1,180) and touchdowns (13). But he had numerous off-the-field issues, including being fined for arriving late to practice and arguing with then-passing game coordinator Todd Haley.
Owens also wanted to be more involved in the offense, so it will be up to Jason Garrett to get him the ball. Garrett, hired last month, will become the offensive coordinator, according to sources.
"He brings a lot to the table," Owens said of Garrett. "It's good to work with offensive-minded guys. For them, it's like playing a video game. You draw a play and want everybody to execute. It's going to be exciting."
A major issue for Owens is a scheduled March 1 surgery to reattach a tendon to the tip of the right ring finger that will allow him to bend the tip. It's the second such surgery on the finger.
Owens will be in a cast for a month and will be unable to catch a pass until late May.
Despite this, Owens said he doesn't expect to miss any off-season workouts. That's good news for Phillips, who is planning more off-season workouts than last year to implement new wrinkles to the 3-4 defense and different offensive plays or new offensive system.
Owens said he will work on conditioning during the team's workout sessions. He also plans to work out longer at his summer home in Atlanta with personal trainer Buddy Primm, who he rehired.
Primm was fired by Owens in September for comments made about the receiver's personal life.
"I was upset with him," Owens said. "How do you pass judgment without knowing what was going on? ... I've known Buddy for a long time, and I know he didn't do it intentionally."
Owens said the hamstring problems that bothered him during training camp were avoidable if he'd worked with Primm more during the summer. Then-coach Bill Parcells' off-season schedule made that difficult.
It was just the start of many problems between the two.
"People read into it that we didn't get along," Owens said. "Bill can be direct, and if our relationship was a problem, he would have said that. He was a coach, and I was a player, and we respected each other as such."
Owens said he does have tremendous respect for Philadelphia coach Andy Reid. When Owens suffered an accidental overdose last year, Reid sent Owens a text message to make sure he was OK. Recently, Reid's sons were involved in drug- and gun-related traffic accidents.
"I can imagine what he's going through," Owens said of Reid.
Like the relationship with Reid, Owens expects a good one with Phillips, and Saturday's phone call was a start.
"I'm looking forward to it, like everybody else," Owens said.
The Dallas Morning News
The family environment new Cowboys coach Wade Phillips wants to instill at Valley Ranch started Saturday with a call from wide receiver Terrell Owens.
"I told him it meant a lot to me," Phillips said. "It was a good talk."
After Phillips was hired Thursday, reporters repeatedly asked how he would handle Owens. Phillips said he would treat the receiver as a member of his family.
Owens tracked down Phillips' cellphone number and called him.
"I think it's funny, but I'm good friends with Jim Farris [who played for Phillips in Atlanta in 2003] and he said, 'Dude, you will love Wade Phillips,' " Owens said from Miami. "He's a players' coach, and he's been there before. I guess from an offensive standpoint Wade is a kind of guy who wants to get his playmakers the ball."
Owens is one of the Cowboys' playmakers. He led the team in catches (85), yards (1,180) and touchdowns (13). But he had numerous off-the-field issues, including being fined for arriving late to practice and arguing with then-passing game coordinator Todd Haley.
Owens also wanted to be more involved in the offense, so it will be up to Jason Garrett to get him the ball. Garrett, hired last month, will become the offensive coordinator, according to sources.
"He brings a lot to the table," Owens said of Garrett. "It's good to work with offensive-minded guys. For them, it's like playing a video game. You draw a play and want everybody to execute. It's going to be exciting."
A major issue for Owens is a scheduled March 1 surgery to reattach a tendon to the tip of the right ring finger that will allow him to bend the tip. It's the second such surgery on the finger.
Owens will be in a cast for a month and will be unable to catch a pass until late May.
Despite this, Owens said he doesn't expect to miss any off-season workouts. That's good news for Phillips, who is planning more off-season workouts than last year to implement new wrinkles to the 3-4 defense and different offensive plays or new offensive system.
Owens said he will work on conditioning during the team's workout sessions. He also plans to work out longer at his summer home in Atlanta with personal trainer Buddy Primm, who he rehired.
Primm was fired by Owens in September for comments made about the receiver's personal life.
"I was upset with him," Owens said. "How do you pass judgment without knowing what was going on? ... I've known Buddy for a long time, and I know he didn't do it intentionally."
Owens said the hamstring problems that bothered him during training camp were avoidable if he'd worked with Primm more during the summer. Then-coach Bill Parcells' off-season schedule made that difficult.
It was just the start of many problems between the two.
"People read into it that we didn't get along," Owens said. "Bill can be direct, and if our relationship was a problem, he would have said that. He was a coach, and I was a player, and we respected each other as such."
Owens said he does have tremendous respect for Philadelphia coach Andy Reid. When Owens suffered an accidental overdose last year, Reid sent Owens a text message to make sure he was OK. Recently, Reid's sons were involved in drug- and gun-related traffic accidents.
"I can imagine what he's going through," Owens said of Reid.
Like the relationship with Reid, Owens expects a good one with Phillips, and Saturday's phone call was a start.
"I'm looking forward to it, like everybody else," Owens said.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:47 AM
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