IRVING, Texas - When the Cowboys kicked off a three-day mini-camp here Friday at Valley Ranch, one thing was clear:

T.O.-mania has officially begun.

The Terrell Owens experience got underway Friday as the team's flamboyant wide receiver not only took part in the first veteran practice of the off-season, but fielded several dozen questions from the overflowing crowd of media in attendance.

Yes, Owens took center stage, and from the looks of things, he doesn't want it any other way.

"Oh yeah, I can handle this," Owens said in front of his locker Friday afternoon with roughly 50 media members about ready to fire away with several questions.

But on this day, Owens made all the right moves.

Not only did he use the company line in the locker room, but went out to the practice field later in the day and gave us all a glimpse why the Cowboys have overlooked his off-the-field issues to sign the 10-year veteran.

Owens was as good as one can be in a June practice in just helmets and shorts. He caught just about every pass thrown his direction and consistently beat cornerback Anthony Henry in the four match-ups during the one-on-one drill.

He caught shorts passes, and quickly turned up field. He went up to make catches on a few high passes, and was able to use double-moves to slither past defenders for easy plays down the field.

Owens was, well Owens. He wore his tight black spandex pants on the hot, humid day, standing out like no other.

But more than anything, Owens looked to be having fun again. This was his first practice since he was suspended by the Eagles in mid-season last year. Owens said just being a part of a team is exciting again.

"I am going to embrace it," Owens said. "I am here with a great team and a great coach and a great owner, and I am looking forward to the opportunity that I can make here and help this team win. That is why they brought me in here. I feel like once I get on the field, I will let my playing talk for me."

But Owens did plenty of talking on Friday - nothing outlandish or over the top. But he did try to set a few things straight, including clearing the air on his participation, or lack thereof, in the Cowboys' off-season conditioning program.

Owens had not been a regular attendee early in the spring, but apparently received permission from head coach Bill Parcells to miss a few workouts.

"Yeah let's address that," Owens said with a big smile. "You guys really gave me grief about not being here, but it was a situation where I had come in and we talked - my first meeting really with (Parcells). And he told me to be back here March 22. I think shortly after that meeting I was in L.A. and I heard that I was skipping mini-camps and back to my old stuff again. We had sat down and he told me when to be here and what was expected of me, and that's when I was back."

Parcells said during the rookie mini-camp last month he and Owens were on the same page with the receiver's workout schedule. That was apart of the near-40 questions Parcells answered about Owens.

The coach said Friday that was enough to last until training camp. Parcells is sticking to his plan of avoiding any more Owens questions until then.

When asked about him on Friday, Parcells was expectedly evasive.

"I was thinking that he, along with everyone else, was supposed to be there," Parcells said. "You'll have to wait until training camp. I'm not talking about him."

And that's fine. Owens had no problems talking about Parcells, a coach the wide receiver said he's excited to play for.

"I really have not had any problems with any coach's styles," Owens said. "I welcome it and I am looking forward to it. I know that it is going to be different than what I am used to and I am looking forward to it.

"I think everybody has their perceptions (of Parcells) just like everybody has their perceptions of me. I think we have kind of got a lot of things on the table and out in the open once we talked."

One thing both men seem to agree on is Owens' need to be a quick learner. Owens has played in the West Coast offense in San Francisco and Philadelphia, but will have to adapt to a more run-oriented offense here, one that includes less short passes and more timing-based routes.

Owens knows he can pick up the offense, but the biggest obstacle first is simply learning the new terminology.

"That has been a big thing for me," Owens said. "That is one of the reasons I have been here the past week or so early is to try to get the offense down. Getting used to the terminology and getting the passing tree down. Once I get the ball in my hands it will be similar to the west coast offense - I am going to take it and I am going to score with it."

And since Owens has never been shy about asking for the football, whether through the media or on a sideline rant, he squashed the notion Friday that this current offense won't give him enough opportunities to his satisfaction.

"My thing is that I have never really expected to catch a certain amount of balls," Owens said. "I know in his (Parcells) press conference a lot of people asked him about me catching a 100 balls, and I think if you reporters do your research, I have only caught 100 balls in one season - one time. So I am not really accustomed to catching 100-plus balls."

That doesn't mean he would oppose that many receptions, but at least Owens says it won't be an issue.

And saying the right thing seems to be important for Owens as he tries to get his Cowboys career started on the right foot.

The wide receiver chose not to talk too much about his problems last year in Philadelphia, when he lobbied for a new contract in training camp and then feuded through the media with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. After getting into a fistfight in the locker room with former Eagles player Hugh Douglas, Owens was eventually suspended for four games and then deactivated for the remaining five games of the season.

Clearly, Owens would rather look ahead than behind him.

"I am not going to go into it," Owens said of last year in Philly. "But I think everybody has that perception of what I do right and what I do wrong. You know I think that is personal and between me and God really.

"I think just learning from some of the mishaps that happened last year; I plan on trying to be a better person in life and better teammate. Obliviously one of my goals here is to come in and help this team win and I am very excited about the opportunity to play for the Cowboys - which is the greatest organization in the NFL if I have to say something about it - and for one of the greatest coaches. I am looking forward to getting through training camp and preseason and ready to strap it up against Jacksonville."

And one can only imagine how things will be between now and when the Cowboys officially begin the season against the Jaguars on Sept. 10.

If Friday is any indication, it's going to be a wild one.