OXNARD, Calif. - Adam Jones, as he has done so often since getting traded to the Cowboys, avoided the spotlight on Friday afternoon as he quietly entered the practice field. Almost 45 minutes before the first training camp practice was scheduled to start, Jones was the first of his teammates to make it out to the field.
Jones slipped by the raucous fans awaiting the opening ceremony and went about his business warming up and getting stretched out before having a solid day of practice.
"I thought he was in shape," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "I thought Adam made some plays in the end like he's done in all the OTAs."
While the suspended Jones hasn't received word or stayed in immediate contact with the league office, he believes if he stays out of trouble he will be reinstated, saying "All I have to do is do my part and everything will go right."
When asked about his feel for the speed of the game, being his first official practice and all since the 2006 season, Jones responded in a way that suggested he was eager to put away the shorts and put on shoulder pads.
"It's actually a lot harder without helmets and shoulder pads because the wide receivers can get a really free release," Jones said. "I would rather practice with shoulder pads so I can get a better hand on them at the line, so they don't just run everywhere."
Jones was lining up on the second unit Friday - Alan Ball to the left and Jones to the right - behind Anthony Henry. He also fielded a few punts, prompting Phillips to say, "I think right now he's the leading candidate" to return punts.
On Saturday, Jones will receive live contact for the first time since getting suspended after the 2006 season, the Cowboys expected to have at least one practice in full gear. And if Jones has his way, the thousands of fans that cheered him today will be back again on Saturday.
"I enjoy (the pressure of the fans) and actually I play better with the people behind me," Jones said of the 3,800 in attendance. "This is real football, though. I love it."
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