OXNARD, Calif. – The buzz started as soon as Terrell Owens stepped out of the locker room and jogged on the wood-chip path. It grew as more people, jammed behind the chain-link fence, saw him in his Cowboys practice jersey. And it exploded as the rest of the 5,500 fans saw him for the first time.
It was 8:43 a.m., and Owens was the last player to the field, although it had nothing to do with drama and more with his normal approach to practice.
"I felt [the buzz] when I got up this morning," Owens said. "I kind of knew what to expect, being that I went to Philly last year, and their fans are crazy, so it's no different."
Owens' first day of training camp with the Cowboys was at times circus-like, at others uneventful. Mostly, there was anticipation.
Any time Owens lined up near the fans, they cheered and murmured.
"Give us what we want," a man shouted before a play.
Unfortunately, Terence Newman disrupted the slant pass intended for Owens. But a little later in practice, the fans got what they wanted.
Lined up opposite Aaron Glenn, Owens took off on a deep route and caught a Tony Romo pass for a 65-yard touchdown. The fans chanted, "T.O., T.O., T.O." Even kicker Mike Vanderjagt took off on a minisprint with his index finger raised in the air as Owens scored.
As he came back to the huddle, Owens waved his arms toward the crowd, bringing an even louder cheer.
"Nothing I haven't done before," Owens said. "Just trying to come out here every day and compete."
It was anything but a routine day at camp, though.
The crowd was the largest in the Cowboys' three years of training in Oxnard, Calif. Many fans wore Owens jerseys of all flavors, except, of course, Philadelphia. An Owens bobblehead doll is being sold in the Cowboys' merchandise truck. Fans held signs, and one actually had a giant box of popcorn. When one fan yelped, "Welcome to Big D," Owens pumped his fist.
On the sidelines, almost every camera was trained on Owens from the moment he stepped on the field to the time he left a minipodium, from which he talked to reporters. There were 17 national media outlets on hand, including Dateline NBC and Tokyo's Sports Nippon.
Owens' mother, son, niece and publicist were there, as was actress Sanaa Lathan of Love & Basketball fame.
"The eyes are always on me," Owens said. "That doesn't really bother me."
During the special teams portion of practice, coach Bill Parcells spoke with Owens. According to the receiver, Parcells said, "Get ready to have some fun this year."
IRWIN THOMPSON / DMN
Terrell Owens (left) catches a touchdown over Terence Newman during Saturday's afternoon practice.
In the last two days, Parcells has been asked numerous questions about Owens, ranging from the receiver's ability to the coach's history with other high-maintenance players, such as Lawrence Taylor, Bryan Cox and Keyshawn Johnson.
"This kid here, it's the same," Parcells said. "You talk to him directly. I don't mince my words with anybody on the team. I really don't. In all honesty, I'm not trying to avoid any questions about the guy. We're trying to integrate him in, get him into the system, know what he does, see what he feels comfortable with, how we can make him an asset. That's what we're trying to do. I'm not worried about the other things."
Neither is Owens, despite his history of issues with coaches and teammates in San Francisco (Steve Mariucci, Jeff Garcia) and Philadelphia (Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb).
"I think everybody's just speculating," Owens said. "They're kind of waiting for that to happen, so you guys keep waiting."
He knows everybody will be watching.
T.O.'S DAY: THE HIGHLIGHTS
First appearance: 8:43 a.m. He's the last of the players to get on the practice field, much to the crowd's delight.
Odd pairing: While the quarterbacks and running backs worked on handoff drills, Owens, he of the $10 million signing bonus, played catch with free-agent rookie receiver Sam Hurd, he of the negligible signing bonus.
Best play: Have to go with his touchdown catch on a deep Tony Romo throw to beat Aaron Glenn. Owens waved his arms toward the adoring crowd, and after the practice said he felt the offense was a little sluggish, so he wanted to do something to pump up teammates.
Best response: As he came out for the afternoon practice, again the last player to arrive, he saluted the fans along the fence.
Best quote: When asked if he had any personal goals on the season, such as catches or touchdowns, Owens said, "No. Just a lot."
The outfit: He wore his tights under his pads in the morning session and was in blue tights for the afternoon workout. The Cowboys were only in shoulder pads in the afternoon.
E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com
