The only players other than Owens not on the field Tuesday were free safety Ken Hamlin and receiver Terry Glenn, both absent because of unresolved contract issues that have kept them from taking part in offseason drills. He’s worked his butt off. Owens led the NFL with 13 touchdown catches in 2006 and had an NFC-best 15 more last year for a two-year total that is tops in the league. Hamlin hasn’t signed a $4.
While Owens was excused, Glenn has refused to agree to a $500,000 injury waiver, the amount the Cowboys want to give him instead of his scheduled $1. Phillips said Owens wouldn’t have gotten as many reps anyway in the minicamp in an effort to take care of T.O. was going. It’s a family matter and just leave it at that.
Jones said he had an agreement with Glenn before the receiver fired his agent. T.O. And he’ll play. Glenn made $5 million last season, when he missed the first 15 games after two operations on his right knee.
It was a family matter and certainly with all the hard work he has put in out here during the offseason it is not an issue with me, Jones said. The absence of Owens and Glenn is providing an opportunity for Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and other young receivers to get extra snaps and more time working with Romo in practice. It’s not anything more than that. That’s a lot of money.
I’m not at all, Jones said. T.O. Messages left for Owens’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, weren’t returned. Terrell Owens has been excused from the Dallas Cowboys’ mandatory offseason minicamp this week while dealing with a personal family matter.
I don’t think full-time right now, just because he’s played so well at nose guard, coach Wade Phillips said. T.O. Jones said they haven’t spoken since. He has had an agent before and we worked things out, and then it didn’t work out, so we will see where we go.
I’m not talking about it because I don’t have an answer for it at all, and I’m certainly not going to sit here and negotiate, Jones said. Jones aid he wasn’t worried about Hamlin, who is locked up through the 2008 season. 4 million tender since the Cowboys designated him as their franchise player in February. Owens participated in optional workouts the past four weeks.
But he left to catch a flight before the first of five scheduled practices during the three-day minicamp. He didn’t have a catch in the regular season finale, then caught two passes for 30 yards in the Cowboys’ playoff loss to the New York Giants. Owens was at the Valley Ranch facility Tuesday morning. … Jay Ratliff, a former seventh-round pick who became a starter at nose guard last season and then got a $20.
He has 166 catches for 2,535 yards in his two seasons with the Cowboys. T.O. We’ll just see what happens between now and training camp. Especially a veteran player that knows how to play and do the things and has worked as he has this offseason.
Him missing time certainly is not a big deal, Phillips said. It wasn’t anything that you guys would go crazy about, quarterback Tony Romo said. is ninth on the career receptions list with 882, 10th in receiving yards with 13,070 and third in touchdowns with 129—the most among active players, and trailing only Jerry Rice (197) and Cris Carter (130). I don’t know that (being absent all week) would be a big deal.