ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- If Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo doesn't want to refer to his former wide receiver by name these days, that's fine with Terrell Owens.
"Dude, I could care less," Owens said with a laugh following the Buffalo Bills' voluntary minicamp practice Wednesday. "I mean, he doesn't mention my name, that's fine. What about it?"
Owens spoke in response to a question regarding Romo, who declined to refer to the wide receiver by name after the Cowboys practiced last week for the first time since they released Owens in March. Though Romo didn't say anything negative, the quarterback referred to Owens with nothing more personal than "he."
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It isn't the first time that has happened, Owens said.
"Bill Parcells didn't call me by my name, either, so what's the difference?" Owens said, referring to the former Cowboys coach who referred to Owens simply as "the player."
Though Romo and Owens combined to produce more touchdowns over the past three seasons than any other NFL quarterback-receiver tandem, the two had what was regarded as a falling-out last year. Romo and Owens haven't gone into detail about their relationship this offseason, though the rift was considered to be one of the reasons that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to release the wide receiver on March 5. Owens signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Bills two days later.
Owens previously blamed his release on Jones and the owner's son, Stephen Jones, who is the Cowboys' chief operating officer. But last week, Owens posted a note on his Twitter page also blaming Romo and Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The unedited note, posted May 19, read: "blame the OC & romo!! but i'm happy 2 b where i am but i miss the other guys tht were & r true teammates."
Owens has received a warm welcome in Buffalo and been in attendance at all five voluntary minicamp sessions so far.
On Wednesday, Owens spent about 25 minutes after practice working on pass routes with quarterback Trent Edwards and fellow wide receiver Lee Evans in an effort to perfect his timing and learn the Bills' offense.
"Obviously, I have to get used to the way he throws the ball and he has to get used to my body language," Owens said of Edwards. "We're just trying to get a sense of timing and some chemistry."
So far, so good, according to Edwards.
"You can tell that he's been around, and you can tell that he's worked with some good quarterbacks," Edwards said when asked his initial impressions of Owens. "Any extra practice we can get is beneficial to all of us, and Lee and Terrell and myself are really communicating well."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
