kaorder1999
07-26-2007, 12:39 AM
SAN ANTONIO - After the Cowboys' first practice at the Alamodome on Wednesday, the media waited for wide receiver Terrell Owens to finish an autograph session with fans before swarming him on the field for the first mass interview during training camp. Here is what he had to say:
T.O, how does it feel to be back with the new coach at all, and what's your general reaction?
Owens: Oh man, it feels great. Being out here with all these fans, and you know this is a different atmosphere for a lot of the guys, but having the support of the fans every day, it gets us up for practice.
You say it's a different atmosphere, but what's the biggest difference from last year?
Owens: Well, I mean everybody knows we have a new coach, but you know I'm here just looking forward and I'm not trying to dwell on what happened in the past and it's just refreshing for a lot of us. We are looking forward to getting beyond that bitter loss we had in Seattle.
What do you like about this offense?
Owens: I think we are going to be explosive. We've got the weapons to do it and Tony's capable of doing the job. He's going to be in there from Day One, so it gives all of us a lot of confidence.
Do you feel a lot different than you did last year?
Owens: Yeah, I do I feel very good. I had a good off-season workout training with my trainer for most of the summer, so I'm feeling good.
How do you feel about Wade Phillips as head coach?
Owens: Oh, great guy. Great coach. Jerry Jones brought in a good coach and we're going to try to win the Super Bowl with him.
If you had one highlight from today what would it be?
Owens: The breakdown at the end. Coach came in there and fired us up and basically he just said that we look ready to play, so that's a good sign. You know everybody came in and really winged and everyone's moving around good, so I think it's really showing out there on the practice field.
Hey T.O., what about that touchdown grab? The fans were into it and you caught it. Tell us about that.
Owens: I thought it was a little dead here today. They were a little quiet so I felt like we needed to get something going and we kind of ended it on that drill. It's fun and I'm just trying to get that rhythm down. There's a lot of chemistry with Tony when I'm out there on the football field.
Do you think it's been kind of a quiet off-season for you?
Owens: Every off-season is kind of a quiet off-season. You know? I've never had any problems in the off-season. There's just a lot of things that have really taken a lot of precedent over everything else. A lot of things dealing with the NBA and obviously with the NFL and obviously with baseball, so I think that's pretty much taken a lot of the time.
I didn't hear your opening remarks. What do you feel like so far during training camp?
Owens: I feel good. Like I said earlier, I had an opportunity to really be with my trainer for the course of the summer, so I really got some good workouts and I feel good. My body feels great.
Do you think this offense will give you a chance to be a dominant player? You put up some good numbers last season, but you didn't dominate the way you had done at other places.
Owens: You're right. Personally I don't feel like I had dominated, although the numbers I feel like look good from an outside perspective, but I know I could have done better. So with this offense and with the guys and the offensive coordinator and with Jason Garrett, I think he's going to open this game up and get the ball in the players' hands. Our running game is going to be stronger this year with Marion and Julius back there, so we are going to complement each other.
Do you think you have a chance to have a better line of communication with this head coach than the previous one?
Owens: I had an open line of communication with Bill. There was nothing wrong with our communication.
So there's no difference between Bill and Wade in that regard?
Owens: No. We just got a move to get a different coach this year. That's all.
After a year or two of working with Tony, do you think you feel you guys have gelled better as a quarterback/receiver relationship?
Owens: Well, I mean that's the purpose of training camp and that's the purpose of really mini-camp and OTA's, is to try to get that chemistry and that timing down. I mean every day Tony instructs me and tries to keep me on my P's and Q's, and I'm doing the same with him. We just try to be on time and be precise with our routes and the timing of the offense.
On that deep ball, you really exploded. Is that kind of an indication that physically you're feeling about as good as you can feel for this part of the year?
Owens: Yeah, I feel good and those are some of the things that I want to cater to during the season is really kind of stretching the field. T.G. (Terry Glenn) and I, we both can do that and obviously with Witt (Jason Witten) and those guys working the middle. You know we're going to mix it up. You're probably going to see us all over the field this year.
What's your early read on Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator?
Owens: He's a very passionate guy. Obviously with him playing the quarterback position, he knows the dynamics of an offense. He knows that we've got to run it. There are going to be times when we are going to have to grind it out and there's going to be some times when we've got to air it out and we're going to complement each other in that respect.
Do you sense that he's a rookie as the offensive coordinator?
Owens: No, not at all. Garrett's got a lot of experience behind him, whether it's playing and being a coach, so obviously the owner has the confidence to put him in that position and we as players have got to have the confidence in him to do his job.
You were always known as a big "run-after-the-catch" guy in San Francisco and last year. You never seem to have the big 15-, 20-, or 50-yard run last year. Is there any reason why? Is it the defenders or maybe the routes you are given to run?
Owens: It probably could have been a little bit of everything, but the opportunity I'm given this year I definitely hope to see some of those things.
How do you describe Wade and the way you've seen him be as a coach?
Owens: I think he expects a lot out of us and if he expects more than we are going to expect out of ourselves.
T.O, how does it feel to be back with the new coach at all, and what's your general reaction?
Owens: Oh man, it feels great. Being out here with all these fans, and you know this is a different atmosphere for a lot of the guys, but having the support of the fans every day, it gets us up for practice.
You say it's a different atmosphere, but what's the biggest difference from last year?
Owens: Well, I mean everybody knows we have a new coach, but you know I'm here just looking forward and I'm not trying to dwell on what happened in the past and it's just refreshing for a lot of us. We are looking forward to getting beyond that bitter loss we had in Seattle.
What do you like about this offense?
Owens: I think we are going to be explosive. We've got the weapons to do it and Tony's capable of doing the job. He's going to be in there from Day One, so it gives all of us a lot of confidence.
Do you feel a lot different than you did last year?
Owens: Yeah, I do I feel very good. I had a good off-season workout training with my trainer for most of the summer, so I'm feeling good.
How do you feel about Wade Phillips as head coach?
Owens: Oh, great guy. Great coach. Jerry Jones brought in a good coach and we're going to try to win the Super Bowl with him.
If you had one highlight from today what would it be?
Owens: The breakdown at the end. Coach came in there and fired us up and basically he just said that we look ready to play, so that's a good sign. You know everybody came in and really winged and everyone's moving around good, so I think it's really showing out there on the practice field.
Hey T.O., what about that touchdown grab? The fans were into it and you caught it. Tell us about that.
Owens: I thought it was a little dead here today. They were a little quiet so I felt like we needed to get something going and we kind of ended it on that drill. It's fun and I'm just trying to get that rhythm down. There's a lot of chemistry with Tony when I'm out there on the football field.
Do you think it's been kind of a quiet off-season for you?
Owens: Every off-season is kind of a quiet off-season. You know? I've never had any problems in the off-season. There's just a lot of things that have really taken a lot of precedent over everything else. A lot of things dealing with the NBA and obviously with the NFL and obviously with baseball, so I think that's pretty much taken a lot of the time.
I didn't hear your opening remarks. What do you feel like so far during training camp?
Owens: I feel good. Like I said earlier, I had an opportunity to really be with my trainer for the course of the summer, so I really got some good workouts and I feel good. My body feels great.
Do you think this offense will give you a chance to be a dominant player? You put up some good numbers last season, but you didn't dominate the way you had done at other places.
Owens: You're right. Personally I don't feel like I had dominated, although the numbers I feel like look good from an outside perspective, but I know I could have done better. So with this offense and with the guys and the offensive coordinator and with Jason Garrett, I think he's going to open this game up and get the ball in the players' hands. Our running game is going to be stronger this year with Marion and Julius back there, so we are going to complement each other.
Do you think you have a chance to have a better line of communication with this head coach than the previous one?
Owens: I had an open line of communication with Bill. There was nothing wrong with our communication.
So there's no difference between Bill and Wade in that regard?
Owens: No. We just got a move to get a different coach this year. That's all.
After a year or two of working with Tony, do you think you feel you guys have gelled better as a quarterback/receiver relationship?
Owens: Well, I mean that's the purpose of training camp and that's the purpose of really mini-camp and OTA's, is to try to get that chemistry and that timing down. I mean every day Tony instructs me and tries to keep me on my P's and Q's, and I'm doing the same with him. We just try to be on time and be precise with our routes and the timing of the offense.
On that deep ball, you really exploded. Is that kind of an indication that physically you're feeling about as good as you can feel for this part of the year?
Owens: Yeah, I feel good and those are some of the things that I want to cater to during the season is really kind of stretching the field. T.G. (Terry Glenn) and I, we both can do that and obviously with Witt (Jason Witten) and those guys working the middle. You know we're going to mix it up. You're probably going to see us all over the field this year.
What's your early read on Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator?
Owens: He's a very passionate guy. Obviously with him playing the quarterback position, he knows the dynamics of an offense. He knows that we've got to run it. There are going to be times when we are going to have to grind it out and there's going to be some times when we've got to air it out and we're going to complement each other in that respect.
Do you sense that he's a rookie as the offensive coordinator?
Owens: No, not at all. Garrett's got a lot of experience behind him, whether it's playing and being a coach, so obviously the owner has the confidence to put him in that position and we as players have got to have the confidence in him to do his job.
You were always known as a big "run-after-the-catch" guy in San Francisco and last year. You never seem to have the big 15-, 20-, or 50-yard run last year. Is there any reason why? Is it the defenders or maybe the routes you are given to run?
Owens: It probably could have been a little bit of everything, but the opportunity I'm given this year I definitely hope to see some of those things.
How do you describe Wade and the way you've seen him be as a coach?
Owens: I think he expects a lot out of us and if he expects more than we are going to expect out of ourselves.