IRVING – The Tour d'Oxnard is now the Tour de Valley Ranch.
Terrell Owens was back on the familiar exercise bike for the Cowboys' first training camp practice at their Valley Ranch facility Wednesday, and the receiver said he would not be able to play Saturday against San Francisco based on how his strained hamstring felt Wednesday.
After missing 14 practices in Oxnard, Calif., Owens returned a week ago for five straight sessions before sitting out the final full workout before Monday's game against New Orleans.
A second MRI was negative, and Owens said his leg is feeling better than it did when he left California. Owens said he felt like he jeopardized his health somewhat by returning at less than 100 percent last week and won't return until he feels closer to full strength.
"I got to a point where I was feeling a little bit healthier," Owens said. "Obviously, to go out there and practice, I just felt like my reps really weren't monitored as they should've been and got more reps than I should have."
Owens said he takes most of the blame for taking too many reps, but "I don't want to take total blame." Normally, the position coaches monitor how much a rehabbing player works in practice.
Because of Owens' limited experience in this offense, he needs as much work as possible. Owens has missed 16 of 28 practices in training camp.
"He is pretty much up on what to do," coach Bill Parcells said. "He has been very attentive in meetings and trying to learn. There are some adjustments for him to make, [but] where he is and actually doing it is hard to tell."
Parcells would like for Owens to play in at least one of the final two preseason games before the Sept. 10 opener at Jacksonville, but it's not a requirement. Seeing Owens in practice, however, is another story.
"I am going to have to see something," Parcells said. "I wouldn't put a player out there if I haven't seen him practice."
Owens said during one year in San Francisco, he did not practice the final half of the season but continued to play.
"When I play the game, I play the game full speed," Owens said. "I don't really have any doubts about if I'm going to perform or not. Obviously, I need to get on the field to try to get in a rhythm with the offense, and I think that will come with time. I don't think I'm too far off."
Owens has noticed his hamstring injury has received much more scrutiny than those of Carolina's Steve Smith and Pittsburgh's Hines Ward.
"Every hamstring is different," Owens said. "It's not a situation where I tore it. I think this is a severe pull to the point of [it affects] the way I run, the way I practice. I go out and I aggravate it once, [then] I start to feel better ... So, like I said, I'm back to my same words: It's day-to-day."
E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com
Preseason: San Francisco at Cowboys, 7 p.m. Saturday (Ch. 11; KTCK-AM 1310, KTDK-FM 104.1, KDBN-FM 93.3, In Spanish: KFLC-AM 1270, KFZO-FM 99.1
