Terrell Owens: Much Ado About Nothing

By Mark Hoerrner

He’s likely one of the fastest, most dynamic receivers in the National Football League.

Unfortunately, Terrell Owens is currently dead weight to the Dallas Cowboys, topping a roster of three receivers who are keeping the benches warm in the preseason. Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton are also nursing injuries.

He’s knows how to keep the flash going as he showed up to practice last Thursday in a silver and blue cycling uniform, bicycle helmet and sunglasses to make fun of how much time he’s spending on the stationary bike instead of making the regular team practices. He’s been sitting "injured," nursing a phantom hamstring injury that none of the doctors—his or the Cowboys’ own physicians—can seem to find.

"I'm just trying to have fun, trying to make the most of pedaling on that bike every day," Owens told the Associated Press as he missed his 11th straight practice. "It gets boring. So it's something to get my mind off it."

Owens has promised Head Coach Bill Parcells that he’ll be ready for the season start in September and Parcells doesn’t seem to be applying any pressure.

"I don't know the player very well. I just have to give him the benefit of the doubt right now," Parcells told ESPN.com. "I don't want to jeopardize him for the season. So right now I am erring on the side of caution. We need to see something here pretty soon. That is the truth. We need to get him into the offense. Right now, he has missed a lot of work."

Team owner Jerry Jones has been considerably more upbeat, perhaps possessing the greatest amount of optimism about Owens outside of Owens himself. Jones has never decried Owens calling in medical personnel from Atlanta. He’s even gone so far as to compare the receiver to himself, referring to problems with his mouth that have been plaguing him for some time.

Jones is looking toward the season and predicts that Owens will play a big role in the Cowboys’ success.

"In terms of concerns, it's one thing to understand we're missing some time," Jones told ESPN. "It's another thing to put this time in perspective. Will we even remember this in mid-September ... or December? My experience has been they're not even remembered by anybody."

Jones did say that Owens needs to learn to gradually ease into training, saying that Owens often practices at 100 percent performance and should be putting in about 75-80 percent. Owens, however, says he’s just not able to scale back.

"When I'm on the field, I practice 100 percent, so it's hard for me to be out there and go 75 or less than what I'm used to," Owens said. "I'm used to practicing game speed. That's how I've always practiced."

So questions remain about Owens’ future with the Cowboys and his future in the NFL. If something should go awry with Dallas, it’s unlikely another pro team will pick him up. Everyone knows Owens can perform. The million-dollar question is: will he?