OXNARD, Calif. - The Cowboys have made it here to sunny California, where the weather is perfect with cooler temperatures despite constant sunshine. The team arrived Thursday with the first practice scheduled for Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. (PDT) at the Oxnard River Ridge Sports Complex.
So everything is just perfect, right?
Well, not exactly. Or maybe the Cowboys would prefer to say not yet. In any manner, the team still has some work to do before they take the field Friday afternoon.
For starters, this Terry Glenn saga just keeps moving along with no resolution coming on Thursday. However, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he expects more of an announcement regarding the veteran wide receiver on Friday.
And by then, the Cowboys are also hoping to have both first-round picks - Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins - signed and ready to practice.
The team arrived Thursday with four of their six draft picks all under contract, leaving just the top two selections unsigned. Neither Jones nor Jenkins were on the team's charter, but are expected to be in California by the end of this week.
However, Stephen Jones, the Cowboys' director of player personnel, said he doesn't expect any major issues in signing both players, who fortunately have the same agent in Eugene Parker.
"I really don't see any reasons why, over the next day or so, we can't get some things worked out," Stephen Jones said during the team's opening press conference Thursday. "I don't see anything outstanding out there that would really be cause for any lengthy type of issues. So, we're positive about that, and hopefully we'll make a lot of headway over the next 24 hours."
While it does appear both first-round picks will get signed in the near future, the Glenn situation remains unclear.
Jerry Jones said he met with both Glenn and his agent Jim Gould on more than one occasion Thursday.
"I've been visiting with Terry Glenn's agent and had direct communication with Terry," Jerry Jones said. "We don't have anything to talk about or announce at this time, but shortly we will. Right now, there's no change there with Terry."
The issue with Glenn has been the same nearly all offseason. The Cowboys have asked the receiver to sign a $500,000 injury waiver that protects the club from paying Glenn's base salary of $1.74 million if he suffers an injury, specifically to his right knee. That was the knee that underwent two arthroscopic surgeries last season.
Nearly a full year ago, Glenn suffered an injury about a week into training camp, resulting in not only two surgical procedures, but him missing 15 regular-season games.
Glenn, who turned 34 on Wednesday, opted against microfracture surgery that likely would've ended any chance for him to play this year, and might have forced him to retire as well.
The receiver has rehabbed the knee all summer and was even quoted as saying the Cowboys held him out of OTA and mini-camp practices for fear he would re-injure the knee during a lesser-important summer practice.
Reportedly, Glenn and Gould, his longtime agent, agreed on the $500,000 waiver the Cowboys offered about two months ago. Then, Glenn not only changed his mind and refused to sign, but fired Gould in the process.
However, the wide receiver has since reunited with Gould. Only time will tell if he will decide to change his mind about the settlement, too.
After spending more than $85 million in guaranteed dollars this summer to sign players such as Terrell Owens, Terence Newman, Marion Barber and Ken Hamlin, Jerry Jones was asked Thursday why so much was being made over a difference of about $1.2 million.
"Well, you can't have it all," Jones said, more in a joking manner. "But seriously, there's more to it in terms of the overall picture. It's not a negative. We've got several things we're working on here."
But Jones continued with his light humor during Thursday's press conference.
"But I really don't want to spend a lot of time on this today," Jones said, "because I want to talk about this tomorrow."
So, it sounds like Glenn could be resolved by Friday.
That might not be the case for the draft picks, although it appears the club isn't close to hitting any panic button there.
Stephen Jones, who oversees the contract negotiations on the rookies, said there are several factors in the stalled talks. More than anything, the fact that few rookies in the draft slots surrounding the 22nd (Jones) and 25th (Jenkins) picks have signed deals as well is probably the biggest factor.
"There's no one close and that's part of the hang-up, I'm sure," Stephen Jones said. "That's part of the issue, just trying to make sure they're in line. So we'll see. But really, I just don't see any huge sticking points that would cause this thing to drag on. I'm hoping to get it done here pretty soon."
The Cowboys have arrived. The fields are ready to go. The fans here in California certainly seem pumped for America's Team, too.
But before the real fun part takes place, the Cowboys have business to tend. And that includes officially beginning the careers of two players, and making a rather important decision on the future of yet another.
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