Owens missed 14 consecutive practices and both of the Cowboys’ first two preseason games while the team was training in Oxnard, Calif. He came back for five practices, then went back to his seat on the stationary bike when he found out that Parcells wasn’t going to let him play in the Cowboys’ Monday night game against New Orleans at Shreveport.

Owens claimed he had aggravated the hamstring by being forced to do “too many” repetitions during practice but the message he sent was clear: No Monday Night Football, no t.o. on the practice field.

The Cowboys have been back at their Valley Ranch practice facility in Irving for a week, but t.o. hasn’t returned to the field.

“My thing is, I will be close to 100 percent before I get back on the field,” Owens told reporters. “I am not going to jeopardize my health because of speculation. So, at this point, I am going to be smart about it.”

He said he will not be pressured into returning before he’s sure his leg is ready.

“I felt like I’ve done that before and gotten no respect for it,” Owens said. “I’m just going to do what’s best for me, and I know what’s best for this team, and I know I’m looking at the big picture.

“Just because the MRI doesn’t show anything doesn’t mean I’m not hurting.”

Slide show   Celebrating good times Check out well-known NFL touchdown celebrations from the past few years.

Parcells has clearly already grown weary of the t.o. situation and the constant aggravation it provides. With the occasional snippy exception, his responses to media questions about Owens have been mostly placid and controlled. But that could merely be the calm before the storm.

“There is nothing I can do about it,” Parcells said of Owens’ continued absence from practice. “I really don’t know and I can’t worry about it. My job is to get my team ready for Jacksonville.”

More important than any clash between the head coach and Owens is whether this situation will ultimately lead to a major confrontation between Parcells and owner Jerry Jones.

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If Owens doesn’t practice before the Sept. 10 opener, but insists he’s ready to play in the game and Parcells refuses to activate him, does Jones, as owner/general manager, step in to take t.o.’s side and mandate that he play? Or does he back his head coach over the alleged difference-making receiver he signed for the next three years for $25 million?

That’s where the rubber meets the road and it may be where the Cowboys’ season begins to unravel before it even starts.

The season opener is still 2 ½ weeks away. High noon, on the other hand, may be just around the corner.