June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Terrell Owens said Bill Parcells, with whom he clashed in Dallas, is out of touch with many current National Football League players.

Owens, in an interview with Bloomberg Radio's ``On the Ball'' program to air this weekend, was critical of the way Parcells dealt with defensive end Jason Taylor this offseason. The 66-year-old Parcells became the Miami Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations in December.

Taylor, who missed offseason workouts while taping ABC's ``Dancing with the Stars,'' has said Parcells refused to speak with him and didn't even look up when he tried to greet the Dolphins' new boss.

Owens said it's a familiar pattern for Parcells, who won two Super Bowls as coach of the New York Giants. With the Cowboys, Parcells wouldn't call Owens by name, addressing him as ``the player'' to the media. In New England, he referred to receiver Terry Glenn as ``she'' because Glenn missed practice time with a hamstring injury.

``I think he plays too many head games with a lot of people,'' said Owens, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who last season set a Cowboys' record with 15 touchdown receptions.

Owens said he supports Taylor's off-field interests and his plan to pursue opportunities in show business after his football career. Taylor, a six-time Pro Bowl selection at defensive end, has played his entire 11-year NFL career with the Dolphins and in 2006 was voted the defensive player of the year.

``What Jason was doing was beneficial for him,'' Owens said of Taylor's dancing on television. ``It's not football-related, it has to do with his personal life. Coach Parcells is way off base to criticize and call Jason out in the manner that he has. They're starting to realize he is kind of out of touch with a lot of today's athletes and things that are going on.''

New Deal for Owens

Owens, who ranks third in NFL history with 129 touchdown catches, said what should matter to coaches and team executives is how a player performs on the field, not their pursuits away from the game. Owens yesterday agreed to a four-year contract that the Dallas Morning News reports is worth $34 million and could keep him with the Cowboys for the rest of his career.

``The most important thing for any athlete, especially playing under Bill Parcells' regime, is when you're out there on the football field you make plays,'' Owens said. ``People are understanding that some things that happened even between he and I, the way he didn't call me by my name, it just shows you he likes to play a lot of games that are unnecessary.''

Owens, no stranger to controversy during his NFL career, got off to a rocky start with Parcells after signing with the Cowboys in 2006. He was reportedly fined by the team for missing a physical rehabilitation session.

Cowboys in 2006

In September 2006, Owens was rushed to the hospital after an adverse reaction to prescription painkillers and supplements. He denied initial media reports that he attempted suicide.

Before his stint with Dallas, Owens was banned from the Philadelphia Eagles midway through the 2005 season for criticizing quarterback Donovan McNabb. Owens grabbed headlines by conducting an impromptu press conference shirtless while doing sit-ups at the end of the driveway of his home. Earlier this year, he was ordered to repay $1.7 million in bonuses the Eagles paid him when he played for the team in 2004-05.

He was also suspended by the San Francisco 49ers for one game during the 2000 season for taunting the Cowboys by celebrating touchdowns on the team's star logo at midfield. He spent his first eight seasons with the 49ers and clashed with former quarterback Jeff Garcia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 3, 2008 13:17 EDT