IRVING, Texas - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens said he is "looking forward" to his first season with new head coach Wade Phillips, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The newspaper said Owens called Phillips after the new coach was introduced at a news conference.

"I told him it meant a lot to me," Phillips told the paper. "It was a good talk."

Said Owens, "He's a players' coach, and he's been there before. I guess from an offensive standpoint Wade is a kind of guy who wants to get his playmakers the ball.

"He brings a lot to the table. It's good to work with offensive-minded guys. For them, it's like playing a video game. You draw a play and want everybody to execute. It's going to be exciting."

Phillips hates being asked how he’s going to handle Owens — or any other player.

“First of all, I don’t handle players,” he said every time that word came up. “I work with them.”

Phillips takes over as coach of the Dallas Cowboys with a long reputation as someone players like working with.

Will that be good enough for T.O.?

Owens could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. Odds are, though, he heard the smooth way Phillips let everyone know during his introductory news conference Thursday that the new boss is different from the old boss, Bill Parcells, who usually referred to Owens as “the player.”

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“Terrell Owens,” Phillips said, smiling wide. “I did say his name. Terrell Owens.”

“He’s part of the Dallas Cowboys family. So he’s part of my family,” Phillips added. “We are going to trust each other. We are going to be loyal to each other and have a common purpose.”

Then again, there’s a chance Phillips may never have to deal with Owens.

T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches. But it also would cost the club its biggest personality — especially now that Parcells is gone — and its leading receiver. Owens caught 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns last season.

Owens has said he’s willing to come back, but isn’t sure the team wants him. Just to be safe, he cleared out his locker and stripped off his nameplate. When team owner Jerry Jones gave Phillips a tour of the locker room Thursday night, it was the only nameplate missing.

The decision will be up to Jones, who thus far has consistently said he’s willing to deal with all the problems T.O. causes in exchange for his production.

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“I’ve said that he’s back, he’s here, he’s under contract,” Jones said. “In the interviews I’ve just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he’s thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success.”

Having a new, player-friendly coach might help, too.

“I think that it can work,” Jones said. “Wade has a good track record, as he said, of working with players. With what I know about Terrell and the relationship I had with Terrell, that’s a potential good fit personality-wise and style-wise.”

Phillips said he makes a point of getting the most out of his best players. And even though his background is in defense, he proudly noted that tight end Shannon Sharpe and wide receiver Eric Moulds flourished when he was their head coach.

“I think the most important thing is they know you are trying to get them the football,” he said.

There was one thing Phillips said that Owens might not like.

“I can’t get him the ball right now,” Phillips said, laughing.