J-Unit

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Bill Parcells says he's happy to have Terrell Owens on the Dallas Cowboys.

It just took him 48 days to say so.

"I say, `I support it,' and that's the way we go," Parcells said Friday. "I don't view it as a gamble. It's in my best interest that he's successful. And it's in his best interest that he's successful. ...

"I'm not approaching this with the idea it's going to be adversarial or I'm going to be mandating every little thing this player does."

Parcells loves keeping a low profile in the offseason, but he took it to an extreme this year considering the high-profile move of signing Owens, the receiver whose spectacular plays tend to be overshadowed by personality conflicts with teammates and coaches.

When Parcells didn't talk last weekend after the first day of the draft -- something he did the previous three years -- speculation increased that he didn't agree with the move.

Finally, on Friday afternoon, following the start of a rookie minicamp, Parcells walked into his normal news conference setting and was greeted by almost as many cameras as the day he was hired. He sat down, smiled and said, "Well, let me see what you want to talk about here."

His response to the first question wasn't exactly seven weeks in the making.

"He's a good, productive player, has been for a long time," Parcells said. "I've seen quite a bit of him. I think he can help us."

First, Owens will have to adjust to a new offense, one in which "he's not going to catch 100 balls."

"He's been in the league for quite a while so I don't worry about him making that adjustment," Parcells said. "But it is going to be different."

Parcells spoke for 50 minutes, the first 26 strictly about Owens. He answered every question -- calmly, too.

Two things he was adamant about: He's not cutting Owens any slack by letting him do most of his offseason conditioning work away from team headquarters; and the decision to sign Owens and all other personnel moves are made by the trio of himself, team owner Jerry Jones and scouting director Jeff Ireland.

Parcells said agent Drew Rosenhaus warned the team all along that Owens had some other matters to deal with this spring. Parcells said he wanted them all taken care of now so they won't be in the way later. He said Owens will be in town before a June 2-4 minicamp.

"He's done exactly what I wanted," Parcells said. "I'm not giving him special leeway."

Parcells frequently brought up the front-office triumvirate with Jones and Ireland. He also mentioned several times that picking players "is about a 50-50 proposition anyway."

"We work as a team here, we really do," Parcells said. "Hey, now, I'm not going to say we don't have a difference of opinion on some things. Once we go, we're going. If we're wrong, we'll cut our losses and keep going."

Parcells avoided talking about incidents that ruined Owens' tenures in San Francisco and Philadelphia -- except to say, "My best guess is it really is a little exaggerated" -- Parcells instead spoke of glowing reports about Owens' work ethic and conditioning.

He especially likes that Owens "responds to competition."

"If the answer to that question was no, then I probably would've had a problem with bringing him here," Parcells said. "Everyone I consulted on that -- which was people who know, not guess, know -- were very positive in that regard."

One of the people Parcells called was David Culley, who played quarterback for Parcells at Vanderbilt in the mid-1970s and spent the last two seasons as Owens' position coach with the Eagles.

One of the people he didn't ask many questions of was Philadelphia coach Andy Reid. They chatted at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, but Parcells said it was mostly about which one of them could lose more weight this offseason.

"If the subject (of Owens) came up, it was very lighthearted," Parcells said.

Once questions about Owens slowed, Parcells talked about his reasons for signing a contract extension through 2007.

"I like it and I'm challenged by it," he said, also throwing in that he did it "knowing full well that when you get to be my age (64), things can happen."

Parcells is 25-24 over three seasons in Dallas, counting a loss in his only playoff game. They missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

"It hasn't gone exactly the way I wanted it to go," he said. "I think we were a lot closer to being pretty good last year than anybody really knows."

Professor

all is quiet on the cowboy front right now and of course they are all going to say the right things. It is when the coziness wears off and reality sets in that we will see the fireworks.

BigOrangenation33

i agree but i know one thing...bill parcell will not put up with any of TOs crap...i will gaurentee that

Professor

and niether will drew bledsoe, which along with parcells take no bull attitude, is why this relationship is doomed from the start, IMO.

Professor

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?...nfl&id=2436743

Parcells finished talking about Owens _ until training camp
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

IRVING, Texas -- Bill Parcells says he's finished talking about Terrell Owens -- until the Dallas Cowboys get to training camp in July.

"I answered 35 questions on him the other day," Parcells said Sunday. "That will be the last on him until we get on the field at practice in training camp. You won't hear anything else from me on that subject. Go to the tape."

It's not a short tape.

Parcells spent the first half of a 50-minute media session at the start of a rookie minicamp Friday answering questions strictly about Owens. That was the coach's first news conference since after the Cowboys' last game New Year's Day, and first public comments since the receiver signed March 18.

When the minicamp camp ended Sunday, Parcells wasn't in the mood to answer any more.

The Cowboys report to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., in late July.

Before then, Owens is expected to attend a minicamp for veterans June 2-4 at the Valley Ranch facility. When asked if he would talk about Owens then, Parcells indicated he wouldn't.

But the coach had also said he was only going to speak for 10 minutes Sunday. He went nearly twice that long, the question about Owens not coming until he was already getting up to leave.

Before then, Parcells said he felt recharged and energetic. And he discounted the idea that he was trying to convince himself of that.

"This is the time of year you need to feel like that. I got excited for the draft," Parcells said. "It's going to happen to you, you're not going to have the energy to do what you're supposed to do, and that's when you're going to hang it up. When that day comes, I'm hanging it up.

"I'm not in a position where I have to work for a living if I don't want to. So, fortunately, God was good to me in that regard."

Parcells has a 25-24 record in three years with the Cowboys, including a playoff loss his first season. Dallas dropped to 6-10 in 2004, then went 9-7 and missed the playoffs last season.

"This is probably the toughest job I have ever had," he said. "There's still a couple of things that concern me a great deal, but personnel-wise, I know we're getting closer to where we're going to be able to be competitive."

Parcells is 163-123-1 over an 18-year career, ninth on the career win list. He won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, the last after the 1990 season.

The 64-year-old Parcells had a year left on his original four-year, $17 million contract with Dallas when he agreed on a new contract through the 2007 season. The new deal came in January, less than a week after the season ended.

"He's very disappointed and thought we had a chance to have a better year last year," owner Jerry Jones said Sunday. "There's a resolve. You don't have to worry about him. ... I think his battery is charged right now."

Game notes
Parcells said he plans to take more than three quarterbacks to training camp in July, in part to make sure veteran starter Drew Bledsoe won't have to throw as many passes. Bledsoe, Drew Henson and Tony Romo were the only QBs in camp last summer. ... Henson strained his knee during an NFL Europe game over the weekend. Jones said it's a "day-to-day" injury, and nothing serious.

Manster

I think it could last longer than you think. TO was upset in Philly because he was not getting the money he thought he was going to get, and then McNabb came came out on the side of the Admins all the while getting a big new contract himself. Dallas was the only team the offered him the kind of money he wanted and they set the contract up so that is like 3 one year contracts. TO knows that if he screws up then no one will pay him what he thinks he is worth.

J-Unit

Theres no way Parcells can hold of on talkin about Terrell Owens until July. The T.O. soap opera is going to continue. Especially since Owens hasn't been showing up for voluntary workouts.

Professor

he is barely making more than he was in philly this year, next year's contract is less than what he would be making in philly next year(5 million+ in Dallas as opposed to 7 million+ in philly). You can guarentee that if he has a good year, he will be crying to be the highest paid WR in the league. This guy has always wanted to be PAID for his talents and you think that if he has a good year, he is finally going to say, yeah I'll take the same money for the first time in my career and won't complain. you have to be kidding yourself.

Keep those rose colored glasses close.

Professor

Also, mcnabb didn't come out on the side of the admins, he came out on the side of the team. He got his contract well before TO got his pay. Also, D-Mac is the QB and leader of the team. Also, TO was under contract, when his tantrums begun.

Manster

If Dallas wants him around next year then he will get 8 million 3 mill for base contract 5 million roster bonus. His contract is set up like 3 one year deals if becomes a problem then they can cut him and have no ill effect.

I will not say that he will not cause soem stiff after the first year but Dallas is ready for it and TO and his agent are not stupid no one else was offering To this type of money and if he screws up in Dallas no one will offer him any thing close to it again. With his age they should know this is the last chance for him to have a big contract.