T.O. misses flight to Bengals camp
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) - Terrell Owens arrived fashionably late, still got several rounds of applause, and his favorite number was waiting, too.
The Cincinnati Bengals' newest receiver missed an overnight flight that would have brought him to town early Thursday, allowing for a proper introduction. Instead, he got a later flight, rolled in less than an hour before an evening practice and decided to suit up.
That's what a few thousand fans came to see.
Owens was halfway across the back of the end zone, headed for the locker room to get his new uniform, when some fans in the stands identified him and started yelling his name. Owens briefly waved his right arm in recognition.
He and buddy Chad Ochocinco were the last two to emerge from the locker room, getting another round of applause. Owens was wearing his customary No. 81 when he emerged in a white practice jersey, part of a deal he made with the previous owner.
Receiver Antonio Bryant got No. 81 when the Bengals chose him over Owens in the offseason, giving him a four-year deal. Bryant said after a morning practice that he had already talked to Owens and agreed to give up his number.
"I'm a realist," Bryant said. "I said, 'Hey, man, I'm not going to make no big spectacle about it. You've got a bigger legacy and a number than I do. I've been on several teams like you, but I've changed my number several times. You've had the same number.
"I don't need your money," Bryant said. "All I want you to do is take care of one of my little league programs in Miami. Send them a small donation and we'll go from there."'
First, Owens had to arrive. It wasn't as easy as planned.
The Bengals expected him to arrive early in the day, take his physical and sign his one-year contract while the rest of the team held its first workout. They scheduled an introductory news conference after the morning practice.
The news conference had to be rescheduled for after the evening session because Owens missed his red-eye flight.
On his Twitter account, Owens had posted a note Wednesday night saying he was headed to see a movie. He didn't explain why he missed his overnight flight.
"My Press conf about my "Decision" 2 take my talents 2 Cincy will b held 2nite after 7pm practice!!" he tweeted, playing off LeBron James' one-hour television show announcing his decision to leave Cleveland.
Owens also misspelled Cincinnati in one of his tweets and was corrected by a follower.
"Okayyyyyy I got it now, 2 n's & 1 t! CINCINNATI!! LOL!" he tweeted.
With Owens showing up late, Bryant was a focus of the Bengals' first workout - for his knee, not his number.
He had surgery for torn cartilage in his left knee during training camp with Tampa Bay last year. He was limited to 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals signed him to a $28 million deal, hoping he would provide another outside threat with Ochocinco.
Bryant backed off workouts last month because the muscles around the left knee didn't feel strong enough. He went through drills tentatively on Thursday, never running at full speed, and planned to sit out the evening practice to work on strengthening the leg.
"The only thing I'm struggling with right now is just being comfortable and mentally just putting (the left foot) down and doing what I want to do without thinking, 'Oh, I might feel pain,"' Bryant said. "That's my biggest hurdle right now."
Coach Marvin Lewis insisted that Bryant's knee problem had nothing to do with the decision to sign Owens this week. Bryant isn't so sure.
"If I owned the team, I would definitely go after the best players if possible, especially with the situation they acquired him," Bryant said. "I definitely would have went after the guy."
Running back Cedric Benson fully participated in the workout. Benson met last week with commissioner Roger Goodell about his offseason arrest in Texas on a charge of misdemeanor assault. Benson is accused of punching a bar employee, a charge he has denied.
Benson hasn't heard anything more from Goodell, who could discipline him.
"We had a good talk, a good session," Benson said. "I guess no news is good news."
Notes: CB Leon Hall did conditioning instead of participating in practice. Hall said he slightly hurt his lower back during a recent workout. ... OT Andre Smith, the team's first-round pick last year, will concentrate on conditioning the first few weeks of camp. Smith broke his left foot last Sept. 1, limiting him to six games, and had offseason surgery. ... TE Jermaine Gresham, the team's top pick this year, missed the first practice in a contract dispute. ... CB Adam "Pacman" Jones sometimes covered Ochocinco. After one play, Jones playfully slapped him on the helmet and the receiver playfully slapped him back - but harder. Then, Ochocinco talked to him on the sideline. Later, when Jones successfully covered Ochocinco on a play, the receiver gave him a congratulatory high-five.
