Testaverde

Not only is Vinny Testaverde back in the NFL, but there's also a chance he'll start Sunday for Carolina against Arizona. And there's a further chance that before Sunday is over, we'll have Testaverde, 43, dueling Tim Rattay - two guys who were no closer to the NFL than their big-screen TVs four days ago. So this is how it goes for teams that don't have Brett Favre, Payton Manning or Tom Brady on their rosters. The Panthers' first-string quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme, faces season-ending elbow surgery, and Carolina backup David Carr came away from the last game with a back injury and didn't practice yesterday.

DENVER -- Quarterback Vinny Testaverde has been here before -- at Mile High Stadium -- to face these Broncos, but never this late in the NFL season or in a game this important.After 11 years of failing to live up to first-pick fame in the 1987 draft, Testaverde has a chance to go where he's never gone before and silence forever the critics who say he can't win for losing.If Testaverde can navigate the 13-4 New York Jets past the 15-2 Broncos in today's AFC championship game, he'll have Super Bowl reservations 30 years after another Jets quarterback, Joe Namath, engineered the biggest upset in Super Bowl history.

The Ravens thought they had seen the last of quarterback Vinny Testaverde, but New York coach Bill Parcells is considering starting him Saturday night when the Jets play host to the Ravens in a preseason game.After the Ravens cut Testaverde on June 2 and the Jets signed him on June 24, he was expected to back up Glenn Foley. But Parcells suggested otherwise yesterday -- at least for this game."There is a chance he would start this game," said Parcells. "I'm not saying that conclusively, but I will tell you there is a pretty good chance he'll start this game.

Top Ravens officials said yesterday that former starting quarterback Vinny Testaverde was still involved in the team's future plans, but a source close to Testaverde said he will seek an arrangement to leave Baltimore in the wake of the team trading for Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh yesterday.Testaverde, 34, has three years left on his contract with the Ravens that would pay him $15 million, only $1.5 million of it guaranteed for next season. If the Ravens trade Testaverde or waive him before June 1, $4.3 million will be counted against the salary cap.But if the team waives him after June 1, only $1.6 million will count against the cap this season and $2.7 million next year.

He was at the peak of his career last summer, coming off a Pro Bowl season with a new contract extension in his pocket.A year later, Vinny Testaverde is out of a job. Cut by the Ravens earlier this month, he is still unsigned, with NFL training camps set to open in mid-July.Did the Ravens mistreat him? That's a question still lingering in the air at the team's training facility, even though Testaverde is gone.As usual with the Ravens, even the simplest-sounding question has a complicated answer.

When the Ravens traded for quarterback Jim Harbaugh in February, they knew they were not getting an awesome physical specimen with arm strength that would remind anyone of Dan Marino or John Elway.The Ravens already had seen enough of a similar specimen: Vinny Testaverde. During two up-and-down years, Testaverde amazed and hurt the Ravens, often by canceling out great plays with disastrous decisions.In Harbaugh, the Ravens are banking on leadership and stability at the game's most critical position.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fifteen minutes after the New York Jets lost a game they couldn't lose, Bill Parcells stood at a podium outside the locker room, trying to explain the unexplainable. His flushed face was covered with streams of sweat, and his words were doused with venom. He took "hot and bothered" to a new level."This is as disappointed as I've been since I've been here," the Jets coach said after yesterday's stunning 24-23 loss to the previously 1-8 Colts at the RCA Dome. "It makes me sick."

The Big Tuna may become the latest NFL coach to get tangled in the Vinny Testaverde net.Bill Parcells, the New York Jets coach, who is usually referred to simply as "Tuna" on the back pages of the New York tabloids, signed Testaverde to be his backup last week after Neil O'Donnell refused to take a pay cut and was released.If Testaverde remains the backup to Glenn Foley -- Parcells said Foley gets the "benefit of the doubt" in the duel -- there shouldn't be a problem.But if Foley, who has been injury-prone, gets hurt or is ineffective and Testaverde winds up starting, it's hard to imagine a worse fit for the former Ravens quarterback.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Flutie Flakes aren't just for breakfast anymore. At the New York Jets' defensive meeting Saturday night, coordinator Bill Belichick delighted his players by unveiling a box of western New York's hottest cereal.They sampled the sugary concoction as they reviewed the game plan on how to stop the Buffalo Bills' magical quarterback. Subliminal motivation?"Somebody was saying they wanted to get the real Flutie, that they didn't want the flakes," Jets defensive back Corwin Brown said yesterday at Giants Stadium, recalling the snack-and-scheme session.

Ravens team officials have not heard officially if veteran center Wally Williams will attend the two-week minicamp beginning June 1, but a recent trend indicates the team's designated franchise player will not participate.Meanwhile, Ravens veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde has cleaned his personal belongings out of his locker and has not received any notification from the team about the minicamp, according to his agent, Mike Azzarelli. The Ravens are expected to cut Testaverde after June 1 so the team will not have to take the full hit of his remaining salary and save $1.6 million.

The Ravens have had a tremendous amount of offense this season compared with the past nine years, but let's not be foolish enough to think this group rates with the Ravens' offenses that were here when the team first moved to Baltimore. The present group doesn't have a veteran quarterback or receivers who can constantly get down field. In the mid-1990s, the offenses were loaded. The Ravens had great receivers in Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander. The team also had strong-armed Vinny Testaverde.

With their loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, the New England Patriots officially fell out of the "best team of all time" debate. Instead, fans are wondering where the Giants' win ranks among the greatest upsets in sports history. These shocking results are remembered as much for the great teams that couldn't win as for the upstarts. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still have three Super Bowl victories under their belts and could add a fourth next year. But the Patriots will never be revered as they would have if they had completed a perfect season with a win over the Giants.

Where the Ravens fall in the latest power rankings: ESPN.com No. 24: Brian Billick prepares his team for the inevitable pitfalls of a season - injuries, streaky play, lineup changes. But a reversal like Sunday's wacky Immaculate Deflection? "That's not one scenario I've covered," Billick said. CBSSports.com No. 25: Doesn't 13-3 seem like years ago? In the summer, some thought this was the best team in football. Now they're near the bottom of their division. Foxsports.com No. 25: It took three quarters to get going, but Kyle Boller looked good in the game's final moments.

Not only is Vinny Testaverde back in the NFL, but there's also a chance he'll start Sunday for Carolina against Arizona. And there's a further chance that before Sunday is over, we'll have Testaverde, 43, dueling Tim Rattay - two guys who were no closer to the NFL than their big-screen TVs four days ago. So this is how it goes for teams that don't have Brett Favre, Payton Manning or Tom Brady on their rosters. The Panthers' first-string quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme, faces season-ending elbow surgery, and Carolina backup David Carr came away from the last game with a back injury and didn't practice yesterday.

As the Ravens continue to celebrate their first 10 years of football, it seems fitting that a big piece of the first two will make his return to the city. New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde will back up newly minted starter Brooks Bollinger Sunday, marking the second straight year Testaverde will return to M&T Bank Stadium to face the franchise he led during its inaugural season. Although Testaverde will not start, Jets coach Herman Edwards has not ruled out using the 18-year veteran at some point.

Even as one of Dan Marino's passing records is about to fall, John Unitas has withstood yet another threat to his NFL record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre had reached 36 straight games with at least one touchdown pass until the Packers were pummeled by the Philadelphia Eagles last week, 47-17. Favre didn't seem overly upset, but Packers quarterback coach Darrell Bevell was. "With a different offense, maybe [it wouldn't bother him]," Bevell said.

Dallas quarterback Vinny Testaverde relished the chance to stop the Cowboys' two-game losing streak, while doing it against one of his former teams. But yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium, Testaverde looked much like the passer who wore out his welcome here during the Ravens' first two seasons. Quarterback Kyle Boller took another step forward in his development by leading the Ravens to a 30-10 victory with a fine second half. But Testaverde's fingerprints were all over the proceedings. When his disastrous day was done, Testaverde had thrown two second-half interceptions at a huge cost.

Chad Williams gave a clear view of his mind-set when he answered a question about his increased playing time yesterday. Williams played primarily as the nickel (fifth) defensive back in the Ravens' 30-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys, replacing an injured Deion Sanders and moving up a notch from his normal role as the dime (sixth) back. Instead of relishing a day on which he returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown, Williams looked at the future. "Now when I switch back to dime, I'll have an advantage because I'll be that much quicker on the tight end," Williams said.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde has been through this before, where everybody wants to run him out of town. It happened in Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore. But if you look beyond the usual suspects, you'll see Testaverde is low on the problem list of the Cowboys (3-6). They don't have an explosive running back or receiver. They don't have two good cornerbacks, and they can't rush the ball, or stop the run. Some have questioned whether coach Bill Parcells will return next season, but they seem to be calling for Testaverde's head.

Select company The Jets' Vinny Testaverde, 39, became the ninth NFL quarterback to pass for more than 40,000 yards. He joined Dan Marino, John Elway, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, Dan Fouts, Brett Favre, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas. Testaverde has thrown for 40,036 yards. Toothless Tigers The Bengals fell to 0-9 all-time in Oakland. Cincinnati has beaten the Raiders just once in 13 tries on the West Coast, coming in 1988 when the Raiders were in Los Angeles. Return to form Colts' Edgerrin James had his first 100-yard rushing game since going for 106 against Dallas on Nov. 17, 2002.