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June 10, 2004 - A Year Too Late? I realized that I had not posted a commentary in quite a while and as I looked over what I last wrote, I found it interesting how it ties in perfectly with what I wanted to say this time. As we all know, Vinny Testaverde is now a Dallas Cowboy. Many of his loyal fans are thrilled with not only seeing him reunite with Bill Parcells and Keyshawn Johnson, but are ecstatic over the fact that he is going to get a chance to win the starting job. Not a bad situation for a guy who was basically declared 'done' by his former team. While everyone in the league had heard about the Vinny-to-Dallas rumors over the last few months, most people probably forget how Vinny's agent was trying to force the Jets' hand in allowing them to talk to other teams early in 2003. The main motivation was the fact that Bill Parcells had tied his wagon to the Dallas Cowboys and had one heck of an unsettled quarterback situation. The Jets would not budge in allowing Vinny to talk to any other teams because they decided that they wanted to keep him as the backup to Chad Pennington. As fate would have it, Vinny still got to start in the opening game of the 2003 season -- his 5th consecutive season opener for the Jets -- and went on to prove to a lot of people that he still had plenty of game left in him even though his biological clock was only a few strokes away from 40. Behind the scenes, the Jets were considering sending Vinny back to the bench and going to their third string QB who had no real NFL experience. Such a move would cause Vinny to be portrayed as the fall-guy for the teams early failings and temporarily hide the true reasons for the team's demise: the ineptitude of the team's coaches and management. Between Herm Edwards forcing his defensive coordinator the run a style of defense that was not his forte, Herm allowing his offensive coordinator to force an offensive scheme on a quarterback that could not succeed in it, a general manager who managed to sign a string of complete-bust players in order to replace the quality guys they let get away, and a head coach who is often over-matched by the game clock. As the Jets shuttled down to Philadelphia, the team saved their ultimate slap-in-the-face for last by doing something almost unheard of in pro football: benching your starting QB in mid-game for no good reason. So after just three possessions (two of which were scoring drives), Herm Edwards put in Chad Pennington and, in the end, the move cost them the game, ended the team's two game winning streak, and ultimately took them completely out of the playoff hunt. Great coaching indeed. I would have to imagine that that occurence was probably one of the most disappointing moments in Vinny Testaverde's career. Meanwhile, I can only imagine that he might have glanced up at the scoreboard every once and again to sneak a peak at what Dallas was doing that day as he took a break from watching a hurried-back Chad Pennington taking the team nowhere. He probably envisioned how it could have been him in Dallas guiding the team to the playoffs and working for a coach who is not only competent, but appreciates him. Meanwhile, he probably has come to realize that it is quite possible that his window of opportunity has finally closed for good. As the season closed, no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors. The Jets implied that Vinny was getting bumped down another roster spot and yet, still wanted him to honor his contract even in that capacity. Most teams who feel the need to demote a guy from 1st to 3rd string are looking to cut the ties with that play -- but not the Jets. While Vinny had to sit and wait for June 1st to arrive, other teams like the Rams and the Browns were allowing their soon-to-be ousted QB's to look for other work. Meanwhile, the Jets made sure Vinny could speak to no one. I don't know what went on behind-the-scenes during Vinny's time with the Jets -- particularly during the Herm Edwards era -- but something must have went really sour at some point. Between January 1, 2003 and June 1, 2004, the Jets disrespected Vinny time-and-time again. Some might say it was coincidental or that Vinny was just a victim or circumstance, but I'm not buying it. When the Jets forced Vinny to sit and wait until June 1st before having the opportunity to talk to any teams about a job, that speaks volumes to me. So as we stand today, Vinny Testaverde is a Dallas Cowboy -- the job he dreamed about a year ago. The only thing is, no one knows how much better Dallas would have faired if Vinny had joined the Cowboys last year. Maybe a quarterback with a little more experience and a lot more heart could have battled the Panthers a little harder and then went on into Philadelphia and beat the Eagles because let's face it, everyone beats the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Of course, Vinny also would not be competing for the starting job this year; it would already be his. October 26, 2003 - Did Vinny Make A Mistake? Before the 2003 season, there were whispers that Bill Parcells wanted to reunite with Vinny Testaverde. The rumors made sense since the Jets had cast their former starting quarterback aside for Chad Pennington while Parcells was stuck with two very suspect QBs who had the goods to be an NFL starter. Testaverde's agent tried to force the team's hand to allow his client to be able to talk to other teams and was very critical of the team. But Terry Bradway came out soon after and publicly chided the agent and claimed that the Jets had no interest in letting Vinny go anywhere. Once that was out of the way, Vinny claimed that he had no intention of wanting to leave the team. But Vinny has always played the role of the good soldier and rarely publicly speaks his true mind. He never publicly showed any real interest in the Cowboys and, if I am not mistaken, he pointed out how the Cowboys were a rebuilding team. Now as we fast-forward six months later, the Cowboys now are a serious contender in the fight to win the NFC East crown. The Jets are currently in the cellar of the AFC East. After basically two bad games and four passes in 2002, Vinny was deemed a backup QB by most supposed NFL 'gurus'. Apparently, he had lost almost all of his ability in the stretch of about 60 plays. Sure that sounds silly but that is exactly what happened. That's no surprise since most of those media know-it-alls never respected Vinny anyhow. But a funny thing happened in 2003 -- he was given the chance to redeem himself. Sure, his team ended up 2-5 under his command, but the team's record is hardly reflective of his impressive play. Vinny sure has had to put up with a lot from the team he has remained loyal to. The head coach has failed to show confidence in him during his time at the helm, the offensive coordinator has never warmed up to him, the organization allowed the media to know that they were seriously considering benching him for a 3rd string rookie QB, and the fans and media have managed to unjustly blame him whenever they've had the chance. But there was no worse slap in the face then when he was told that he was going to be benched in the game against the Eagles regardless how well he played. But just in case, Vinny tested Herm Edwards' proclamation by playing extremely well and directing the team to two scores on his first three drives. Unfortunately, Herm was true to his word and benched Vinny with his 127.8 quarterback rating on the day, his 90.6 rating for the season, and his 100+ straight passes without an INT for the rusty, unpredictable Chad Pennington. In the end, Pennington managed to throw a costly INT that cost the team the game and, quite possibly, the season. While it is just desert for the Jets, the NY media, and the nay-saying Jets fans, it will do nothing to cause Vinny Testaverde to return to the starting lineup. While Vinny's benching was one of the biggest slaps in the face of his long career, karma found a way to slap Herm Edwards and the rest of the Jets' brain-trust right back. Regardless, Vinny Testaverde is apparently not good enough for Herm Edwards to quarterback the 2003 Jets As Vinny Testaverde now likely rides the pine for the remainder of the season -- and maybe a career -- I wonder how many times he will be pondering why he didn't push harder to get out of New York in order to play for a coach who actually appreciates him? He looks to have plenty of time as he will now sit on the sideline and watch Chad Pennington quarterback the team he deserved a chance to lead for, at least, another game. September 3, 2003 - Back in the Saddle Again... Just when you thought the most you'd see of Vinny Testaverde in 2003 was a passing glimpse while the television camera was panning to follow Chad Pennington to the sideline. Now, all cameras and all eyes will be squarely on #16 this Thursday night. They may be on him for the rest of the season as well. While many of us Testaverde fans are giddy with the endless possibilities that could come from this new opportunity, many critics, broadcasters, and writers are quick to dump a bucket of cold water on our hopes and dreams. The most obvious and most noted critique of Vinny has been -- surprise! -- his age. Most are claiming that he's just "too old" to take on this burden. From what I have read, apparently his oldness really set in last year over the first four games of the season. Really? Apparently some writers have selective memory. Apparently, the only plays that actually occurred in the 2002 season opener were Chad Morton's kick returns. Two plays and the game was over...right? That's all I ever read about. Let me be the first person in 2003 to note that Vinny was 24 of 30 on that opening day. For those with poor math skills, that means that he completed 80% of his passes. We also seem to forget how he led the team down to a crucial touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the Jets the lead. The Jets would not have needed Chad Morton to save them if then-horrible defense had not surrendered a last second, 4th down TD pass courtesy of Drew Bledsoe ruin another Testaverde-lead comeback. Vinny was brilliant in this game and no one was saying anything about his age after that win. I will admit that his performance noticeably suffered when Curtis Martin and the offensive line became inept. Did Vinny really look old? Sure. You could use countless disparaging adjectives to describe his play over that stretch of time. If "old" means 'bad', then he looked "old". If he was 30 years old and played that way, they would call it "ineffective." Whatever. While everyone is quick to anoint Vinny with that 1-3 record last year, I'd hardly call that fourth game his loss even though, technically, it is his loss. Chad Pennington played for more than three quarters of that game against the Jaguars -- but who remembers that silly detail? Apparently, we are only supposed to remember Vinny as the loser of 2002 so that it greater enhances the legend of the wonderboy and season savior, Chad Pennington. It's no secret that as a QB in the NFL, you get the praise for when the team plays well and get blame when the team plays poor regardless of how much involvement the QB actually has in the lousy production. Well, that is, unless you're name is Vinny Testaverde and then you get blamed whether you win or lose. For those people who think Vinny cannot possibly be depended upon to carry a team on his shoulders for half or for the entire season seem to forget that he was the same guy who had done it in 2000 and 2001 when he started 32 straight regular season games. He was a young, spry 37 & 38 years of age respectively during those seasons. Now at 39/40 years of age, he apparently has become incapable of doing this. Please... The problem with the media is that there is never any retraction or responsibility for the things they write or say. You'll find plenty of detractors who will claim that he's incapable of tackling the task that lies ahead of him. But if he does just that, how many of those writers and other critics will say, "I was wrong" if and when Vinny proves them just that? None. I will not sit here and tell you that I am sure he will come out against the Redskins and prove everyone wrong. No one really knows how well Vinny will play in this game or any other game during the season. I have faith that if any one player can go out and lead his team while staring the big four-zero in the face and still guide his team to the playoffs, I believe that that man is the current starting quarterback for the Jets. So what happens if he fails? So what? He wasn't supposed to get this chance ever again. Just when he agreed to give up on his starting days in the NFL, he's being thrown right back into the driver's seat. It's a bonus for him and it's a bonus for his fans. This is a chance for him to go out on his own terms and not bow out just because the team is itching to play some snot-nosed, first-round draft choice. Vinny will now get ample opportunity to succeed or fail under the current circumstances. I won't make any bold predictions or proclamations. Now is the time for me to sit back and enjoy this ride. For the first time I can remember, the pressure is off. Pass or fail, just seeing Vinny back on the field is more important than the final score. March 10, 2003 - If I Were A Jets Fan... If I were a Jets fan... ....I'd be disgusted with the way the off-season has gone so far. If this was the last years off-season, I'd be beside myself in anger. The losses they are taking in free agency will no doubt be tough to swallow if the holes aren't properly patched up. Band-aids will not cut it. Might I remind the Jets that while they might have won the Eastern Conference, they won it with a lack-luster 9-7 record. That record clearly says that this team needs improvement and not to feel they can stay content, and yet, still get better. In fact, if they aren't careful, this team could get old on them pretty quick. Key players in key positions are not exactly youthful. Wayne Chrebet, Curtis Martin, Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis are creeping up there in the NFL age bracket. Sure, I might be the same person who believes that Vinny is not too old to be a starting QB but at least there have been players before him that have managed to prove that quarterbacks, like kickers, can last longer and remain effective longer than almost any other position in the game. If I were a Jets fan... ....I'd be tearing my hair out over seeing Laveranues Coles in a Washington Redskins uniform. Sure, the Jets will be able to score the 13th pick overall but draft picks are never a guarantee to work out. Peter Warrick, Coles' collegiate teammate, was a top pick in the same draft and he's a player who still has yet to give NFL mediocrity a boot in the behind and prove that he is a top flight receiver. I hear some of the callers and hosts feeling that Coles just isn't worth the money and that the pick is worth the exchange. But if you were drafting 13th in the draft and were guaranteed a wide receiver who would give you the exact same production that you get out of Coles, wouldn't you draft him in a heartbeat? Then why would you lose Coles and choose a player that you will have to groom and risk the chance of not getting a player nearly as good? But the Jets also fumbled the ball by not tendering him a deserving offer to make sure he'd be worth a 1st AND 3rd round pick in order to make him even less desirable for a team to try and snatch him away. If I were a Jets fan... ....I'd cringe at the thought of losing Chad Morton. Sure, all we heard last year was "Chad Pennington this" and "Chad Pennington that" but what took some of the burden off of Mr. Pennington was the fact the Jets were one of the top teams (if not the top team) when it came to starting field position. I don't exactly recall Lamont Jordan making a great impact when it came to running back kicks. If I were a Jets fan... ....I'd wonder why they have no kicker without having an upgrade option in place. I'm not really a John Hall fan but when you hear that the team actually wanted to retain him and still lost him, you have to wonder who they think they will find to improve their kicking game. You certainly don't want a kicking game that is worse than what John Hall gave you! If I were a Jets fan... ...I would be a bothered that they seemed to just accept that they were going to lose yet another quality piece of that once great offensive line. Sure they have already signed a replacement but did the Jets really get a player of the same caliber of Randy Thomas? When you look at what each of these two players are going to be making next year, money often signifies the caliber of a player. If that's the case, the Jets have, once again, tried to put another band-aid on this offensive line. The weaker it becomes, the more likely Vinny will be getting a chance to play next year. If I were a Jets fan... ....I'd be alarmed by the fact that the Jets let Richie Anderson - one of the top five players at his position - walk without even trying to keep him. He's easily the best pass receiving fullback in the NFL and he's also a reliable blocker. Ask Curtis Martin if he likes knowing that Richie isn't going to be there to make holes for him. Hey, and without Coles and Anderson out there to catch 140 balls, who do the Jets think are going to grab them now? Jerald Sowell? Please. If I were a Jets fan....but wait, I'm not a Jets fan. I'm a Vinny Testaverde fan. I am slightly torn - but certainly not down the middle - when it comes to seeing the Jets making some questionable - or just outright horrible - decisions. I mean, Vinny is only a play away from being thrown into action for an unspecified length of time. The most glaring loss will be, once again, the best wide receiver on the team. This has the smell of Keyshawn Johnson all over again. And while Coles would never win a tall-man contest, the loss of Coles only makes the talent pool in the wide receiver department that much smaller. I mean, with the projected starting receivers being 5'10" and 5'9", that has to be pretty alarming. What is the logic behind letting this happen again? Before his reign is over, Terry Bradway will prove himself to be a total nitwit. I look into my crystal ball and foresee the inevitable. But the truth is, this isn't Vinny's problem anymore. This is Chad's ship to sail. There were no excuses allowed when Keyshawn wasn't there in 2000. There should be none in 2003 when this deadly, Paul Hackett concocted offense will have to make do without two of the teams' best former offensive weapons. If I were a Jets fan, I would be highly concerned right about now. January 16, 2003 - When Is A Soldier Too Good?: Well, if the 2002 season wasn't strange enough for Vinny Testaverde, the off-season looks to top it. It's already been a strange week of claims between Mike Azzarelli, Herm Edwards and Terry Bradway. Herm said that the team would not stand in the way of Vinny to seek another starting opportunity. Azzarelli then claimed to have the team's permission to speak to other teams. Terry Bradway seemed to pour cold water on the whole thing when he said that Vinny was not allowed to speak with any teams and even threw around words like "tampering". So why would the Jets not allow Vinny to speak to other teams? Well, if you are in the GM's shoes and had absolutely no human heart, you would see the obvious. Vinny has four years remaining on his contract which will help them spread his guaranteed bonus money out very nicely over that time frame. By releasing him, not only do you lose the luxury of having a starting caliber QB to backup the young, budding star, but you take one hell of a salary cap hit. Forget the fact that he renegotiated his deal every season so that the team could not only stay under the salary cap but have the ability to sign other players and improve the team. But who cares about that, right? So, while I am very angered by Bradway's stance, you can't help see where he's coming from a business standpoint. Big businesses aren't supposed to make business decisions with a bleeding heart. But once you get past the obvious economics of the situation, it also dawned on me that Bradway and the Jets may also want to keep Vinny for another reason: Vinny is a good soldier. In fact, he's probably been too good of a soldier. Most starting QB's in his position probably would have taken the switch a bit harder. But Vinny seemed to take it well right from the beginning. He didn't cause a single problem and not only that, but he helped Chad develop as a quarterback. He did all the right things and now it seems that just maybe he did too good of a job and that he took his demotion a little too well. What they have in Vinny is a good QB, a great mentor to the club's future QB, and a guy who won't stir up any trouble. What's not to like? In comparison, the Patriots knew that they had to unload Bledsoe when the season ended in 2001. He took his demotion well...but not that well. Vinny, being the good soldier that he is, might have made himself a little too desirable to retain. So while this is the part of my commentary where I'd love to share which teams I think Vinny should consider going to if the opportunity is indeed there, as things stand, there is only one team to talk about: the Jets. And that's not very interesting to me. The saddest part of this situation will be if there really are opportunities out there for Vinny. Not just these rumors that float around but legitimate interest from other NFL teams to bring in Vinny to be their starting quarterback. Before the season ended, I honestly felt that the job that he lost was his last chance to start in the NFL. But when the season did end and when you began to hear the whispers about other possibilities, I became convinced that there may indeed be a few teams out there willing to take a chance on this 39 year old QB. When you start to look around the league, it's clear that Vinny would be a realistic upgrade for several teams. But as it stands, Vinny's uneventful 2002 season may be an indication of what we all have to look forward to for the rest of his career should Terry Bradway hold his ground. The ONLY wildcard in the situation and the ONLY bargaining tool that the Testaverde camp has is the threat of retirement. If Vinny were to retire before June 1st, the Jets would take a giant salary cap hit in 2003. The hit might be so hard that it could cripple the team. The monetary figure would be somewhere in the ballpark of $10 million dollars. For a team who had the highest payroll in the NFL and who currently will retain the majority of the contracts that makeup their high cap number, it would be hard to envision the Jets being able to easily accommodate that sort of salary cap hit. If Azzarelli decides to use this as leverage, the Jets might try to call his bluff - if he is indeed bluffing - and force Testaverde to make a decision to stay or retire. Vinny has made it pretty clear that he still has the desire to play so it's going to be hard for Azzarelli to convincingly sell the idea of retirement. I don't think we've heard the last of the bickering between Bradway and Azzarelli in the media just yet. The nice thing is that Azzarelli usually makes everything pretty public - especially when he is unhappy - so we will probably hear more updates in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, time is precious as free agency grows nearer so hopefully things will be resolved sooner than later. January 12, 2003 - The Garbage Man: So this is what Vinny has been resorted to - the garbage-time quarterback. The emotions that I have had watching him handing the ball off in recent weeks has been bitter-sweet. It's kind of sad watching someone you have watched year after year in the starting position be converted into the guy they put in to make sure that someone else doesn't get himself hurt. It really just boils down to the underlying meaning that makes it so uncomfortable to watch. And it is twice as hard because it's happening on the team where he used to be 'the guy'. Even worse, somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm still convinced that the roles of the two quarterbacks would have been reversed if the team were as together as they are now back when Vinny has at the helm. That is no slight against Chad Pennington, but he simply would not have had a chance to play if the rest of the team was functioning at this level from the beginning. Then there is the other way to look at it... Vinny is clearly having a ball when he enters the game in these situations. He seems to really relish in the moment. So it's hard to become completely sick over the situational game action. It's also been nice to see the favorable reaction that the crowd has given him when entering the game. Although I'm sure there wouldn't have been any chants of "Vin-ny, Vin-ny" if the Jets weren't up by six touchdowns and the scenario were considerably less lop-sided, but on the other hand, there are plenty of NFL starting QB's who couldn't generate that audience reaction under any circumstance. And I don't know how many other NFL backup QB's are having as much fun in their current role as Vinny is having in his. Maybe there is even a slight sense of closure in watching him get behind center for the Jets one more time. No one knows what the future hold but there is always a chance that he has taken his last snap as a New York Jet in that Indianapolis playoff game. Whether he ends up on another team or decides to call it a day in the NFL, he certainly enjoyed a potentially memorable goodbye. With the alternative being that he could have finished the season (or his career) having never made it back to the playing field one last time in New York and hearing an huge, appreciative ovation (and having his name chanted) one last time, I'd definitely choose him being 'the garbage man' than to have my last memory of Vinny Testaverde being him knocked out of game which lead to an uneventful end to his career. So as much as it bothered me to see him take the field again under those circumstance, those few handoffs and final pass may also serve as a fond, lasting memory. October 24 - Mike Azzarelli Is My Hero: For those of you who don't know who Mike Azzarelli is, he would be Vinny Testaverde's agent and long time close friend. He is also a guy who has a lot of guts. Today Mike talked to the NY Daily News and put it out there that Vinny is not only NOT ready to retire but still thinks he has some starter-quality football left in him. What this does do is paint an interesting picture of the future for Vinny and the Jets. Here are the facts. Before he signed a contract extension with the team in the offseason, Vinny had an out clause in his existing contract. That meant that Vinny had the option to get out of his contact and make himself a free agent. While the Jets left Vinny's future up in the air for a period of time, Azzarelli was outspoken in the media about the team's inability to immediately commit to Vinny. He made it clear that Vinny might have been interested in playing for Bill Parcells in Tampa if he had became their head coach. While some in the media painted a bleak picture of Vinny's future before the playoff game against the Raiders, Vinny's strong performance game him new legs to stand on and Azzarelli made it clear that the Jets weren't necessarily in control of the whole decision making process. This attitude clearly angered the team but his pressure may have pushed the Jets into making their commitment to him as the starting QB. Vinny ended up signing an extension with the team that, from Vinny's stand point, gave him the security of knowing he had a few more years of football in some capacity with the New York Jets. The contract allowed the team to spread out his guaranteed money which is still currently over $10 million even after this season. Basically, it allowed Vinny to be starter and then at some point, find his way into a backup role when the time came where he no longer could handle the full 16-game season. The problem, however, is that the time to be the backup came a bit premature and I don't think anyone on Vinny's end saw it playing out this way. I guess somehow we carelessly envisioned an ideal situation where everyone would be in agreement when it was time for Vinny to be the backup. I don't think Vinny, his agent, and his fans are in full belief that the time is already upon us to just accept Vinny as being an NFL backup - especially behind the young, unproven Chad Pennington. So here we are. Azzarelli has laid down the gauntlet although it's not exactly clear why. Maybe he's just as angry as the rest of us Vinny fans who feel he's gotten the short end of the stick. Maybe he's just sounding off because he has the platform to. I mean, if a newspaper came to you to ask you how you felt about the situation, wouldn't you use that time to sound off - as diplomatically as you can - and paint the situation in a way to support your cause? That's certainly what he's doing. But maybe, in his own way, he's putting the message out there that Vinny could be available to the right team under the right circumstance in 2003. Certainly Azzarelli cannot shop Vinny. Vinny is a Jet and has a long term contract with them. It would simply break NFL rules. But, if those teams who Azzarelli feels will be looking for new starters hear there is a chance to obtain the services of a Vinny Testaverde, maybe he feels that this is an opportunity for those teams to keep Vinny in mind. It also gives the Jets a heads up that they shouldn't get too comfortable with the idea of Vinny being a long term answer as their backup QB. I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think Vinny is going to leave the Jets, get signed by someone else and have them declare him the starting quarterback while the ink is still wet. I mean, that's what dreams are made of but it's not extremely likely. I really think a best-case-scenario would be more like Vinny signing with a team to have a competition for the starting job. And, quite frankly, not a lot of teams kick off training camp with a QB competition. Even when Vinny signed with the Jets, he was not in consideration of being the starting QB even though he outplayed Glenn Foley in camp and preseason. There was a defined pecking order and Vinny was the number two guy. However, it was his strong camp and preseason that made Bill Parcells have a quicker hook for Foley. But Foley's departure was the right way of doing things. My personal belief is that once you have been declared 'the starter' for a team, you cannot just accept being your replacement's backup after the season is over. Maybe it's just a matter of having too much pride but how can you sit back and accept a team's decision that says you aren't as good as the guy who was behind you? He was behind you for a reason at some point, right? Sure, Foley's NFL career lasted one more season in Seattle but he just wasn't an NFL starting QB. In Vinny's case, he was the hero for this team. He was arguably the best Jets QB since Namath. Now, he's been unceremoniously (and unfairly) demoted before it was time to be an 'NFL backup'. So now what? Well, the future is still clouded with uncertainty but the options are pretty limited. However the Jets 2002 season shakes out, the team will likely want to retain the services of Vinny for several reasons. The main reason is due to the salary cap. Cutting him after the season will choke the Jets - especially in 2004 when they will have to pay out over $7 million dollars to a guy who either will be going into his second season with another NFL team or is sitting at home playing with his kids. So Mike Azzarelli puts out a mild threat that if Vinny is so unsatisfied with the QB situation and if the team refuses to cut him, Vinny will hang up his cleats and retire which in the end, would end up hurting the Jets finacially the exact same way as if they cut him. So Azzarelli's angle will be, if you don't cut him, he'll just retire and you'll still have to pay out the same money either way because Vinny will not play for the Jets under these conditions. It'll be a bold move and we'll just have to wait and see. Maybe Azzarelli is preparing us for the potential ugliness. Certainly, good-guy Vinny is not the type to get into a messy media war with the team - but Azzarelli has showed in the past that he is not afraid to put on the boxing gloves and fight. I will certainly support their cause if they decide that there are pastures greener than the Jets. October 12 - Media Has Gone Overboard With Chad: One game. Chad Pennington has been the starter for just one game and the media in New York has been whipped into a frenzy. Vinny Testaverde is already old news. Chad Pennington helped engineer the Jets to their fourth consecutive loss. What? They lost? With all this showering of praise going towards the new kid on the block, you would have thought he actaully won the game. No, he wasn't THAT good. Let's not get crazy here. But that hasn't stopped the media from singing his praises. Somehow losing doesn't isn't a factor when evaluating Chad's performance. The most annoying thing is that while many writers are singing his praises, some of them are taking their jabs at Vinny while they're at it. One writer even went as far to imply that Vinny should do the Jets a favor and retire in order to alleviate some of the Jets furture cap woes. Another writer said that the Jets wasted four million dollars in extending his contract before the season. The comments all come after one game - one loss - with Pennington at the helm. It's funny how people have such a short memory. A guy that only managed to win about two-thirds of every game he started as a Jet is now an old, past-his-time, waste of money. You'd think the writers might show a little descretion after previous young promising QB's fell flat on their faces once they we're annointed 'the next big thing' (a la Glenn Foley, Browning Nagle, etc.). Now, I have nothing personal against Chad Pennington. But as you can tell, this is a web site devoted to Vinny Testaverde. I'm not exactly in agreement with Herm Edwards decision to bench Vinny due of all of the team's other failures. And that's not just because I'm a huge fan of his and am probably blind to his faults. It's been fairly clear that the sinking ship called the NY Jets had too many holes to patch up and Vinny took the fall for many of the team's shortcomings starting with the head coach. Edwards was supposed to prove this past week that his change at QB (and his other minor personel changes) were going to make a big difference. The Jets lost once again. A move of this magintude in an effort to "shake up the team" really has a shelf life of one week. It catches the attention of the players and, in return, they are supposed to give their best possible effort in order to save their own jobs. Well, their best possible effort still amounted to yet another loss. A win was supposed to swing the momentium in their favor. Now, Herm has a team who feels that they all gave everything they could and it still wasn't good enough. But even if this team continues to lose, it won't put Vinny in any better of a position of reclaiming his job. While in a fair situation Vinny would probably get another opportunity if the Jets continue to faulter, the Jets will likely keep Chad at the helm - win or lose. Unfortunately, Vinny's only chance to win down the road - even if he is a backup QB - is if he decides to change his address in the NFL. September 30 - Herm Should Be Ashamed: I can't say I didn't see this coming. Once Chad took his first snap yesterday, I knew we were looking at something a little more permanent. It was the ideal scenario for Herm. There was finally a reason to play Chad Pennington. And except for all of four passes, this was Chad's game. And he provided the Jets with the same results: a blowout. And yet, somehow, there is a perception by some that Chad gives the team a 'spark'. He still failed to get them a touchdown. The announcers broadcasting the Jets game on the radio gushed over Pennington and his performance. They also praised the offensive line, Paul Hackett and even made claims that the defense had improved. Huh? If Vinny had had the same identical performance as Pennington and it was him who threw that INT returned for a TD to open the 3rd quarter, he would have been crucified by everyone for putting the game out of reach. The most bothersome thing about Herm's announcement was that he basically implied that the QB is the first position to get changed when a team is losing because that's just the way it is. Well, so often that might be the case....when the QB is the reason the team is losing. That's just not the case here. Vinny is basically 1-2 as a starter. No one was complaining after his performance in the opening week against the Bills. The team as a whole has played poorly over the last three weeks. He said that he was basing his decision on Vinny's performance over the last four weeks. So apparently Vinny had a hand in the Jaguars loss somehow? Please Herm. Let's just admit that you can't figure out what's wrong with your own team. Vinny, indeed, has become Herm Edwards' scapegoat. The truth is that Edwards knows that this ship is sinking before his own eyes and he can't figure out why. He doesn't know where to start. There are holes everywhere. They can't run the ball, the line can't make holes for the runners nor can it protect the QB, they can't find a way into the endzone, the defense can't stop the run and they aren't doing a much better job of stopping the pass either. The thing that everyone knows - and the thing that Herm can't hide from forever - is the well-known fact that this team has plenty of talent. It's loaded. This team should not be this bad and he knows it. Maybe Woody Johnson knows it too. What is going to catch up with Edwards is that if Chad Pennington doesn't turn into the next Tom Brady in a hurry and the Jets continue to lose, the next head to roll may be his own. Edwards is not only responsible for the lack of effort on the field by the entire team but he's also responsible for hiring the guys who are in charge of the offensive and defensive units who are both in complete disarray. Every week, it is apparent that the Jets are simply out-coached. This scenario is so familiar to what happened to Vinny in 1995 with the Browns and 1997 with the Ravens. In 1995, after playing very well (even being anointed Offensive Player of the Month in September) and throwing 10 TD's and just 3 INT's in five games, he was benched after a loss against the Jaguars in favor of a young, popular rookie, Eric Zeier. It was a desperate move by then head coach, Bill Belichick. By the fourth game with Zeier, he was playing so poorly that the fans wanted Vinny back at the helm. At that point in the season, it was too late to salvage but Vinny did manage to finish out the season keeping the Browns competitive in most games. Belichick was fired at the end of the season even after receiving a contract extension just before the season started. Take note, Herm. In 1997, the Ravens prolific offense became stagnant. The defense was bad and it was just an accepted aspect of the team. The pressure to win games all fell on the offense. When the offense started to falter, the pressure in the media became enormous. In week 13, Vinny was knocked out of a game by the Jaguars and the team went on to lose once again. Injured or not, then head coach Ted Marchibroda opted for a slightly more experienced Eric Zeier. Zeier finished out the season 2-1. The coach and the team found Testaverde to be expendable. They released him in June of 1998 and signed Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh and Zeier both failed to make the offense productive and collectively lead the team to a 6-10 record in 1998. Ted Marchibroda was fired at the end of the season. Vinny lead the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in '98. Soon we shall see whether this QB change turns the ship around OR whether it's just another display of Herm's poor coaching ability. I know in my heart what I think will happen. We'll just have to see it play out. September 28 - Growing Tired Of Media Created Controversy: Herm Edwards must have grown tired with all the questions about his quarterback this week. Almost every publication wrote about the many problems that have plagued the team over the last two weeks and, in their own ways, have admitted that Vinny was only part of the many problems that exist with the Jets right now. But that didn't stop them from openly wondering about the status and security of Vinny Testaverde's job and ignoring those other problem areas on the team. Why? Because it sells papers, of course. And when they asked Edwards - just about every single day during the week - about Vinny's job, Edwards continued to support Vinny. He basically said the same thing about twenty different ways depending how the questions were asked to him. The most annoying thing was that if Edwards didn't give a strong enough pro-Vinny answer to some of the questions, it was quickly chalked up as if Vinny's job isn't secure beyond this week. For example, Newsday had an article titled, "Herm: I'd Pull Vinny". I mean, what a stretch! It's like when a movie studio pulls a blurb out of a horrible review where the reviewer might have written, "It's amazing that garbage like this even makes it to the silver screen" and the blurb on the movie advertisement just says, "It's Amazing!". This Newsday article had quotes of Herm saying "it's way too early to be saying the quarterback has the issues" and "we're not making a change in the quarterback". But if you read the headline, you certainly get a different impression. And that's what the papers want! The New York Post had a similar article today that implied that there is a chance that Vinny could be out of the starting job by the Chiefs game (next weekend). While Herm supported Vinny as much as anyone could after two disastrous outings by the team in this article, the story was driven by a 'what if' scenario that had Vinny throwing 4 INT's this week which then Herm implied that he might have to start thinking about a change then. For all of the other previous questions, Herm stood by his quarterback. In fact, Edwards was asked, "Has anything changed from the start of the season to now regarding the quarterback position?" in which he replied saying, "No. No. It's too early to even evaluate that." All these quotes really do sound is if Vinny is holding on to his job by the skin of his teeth, doesn't it? I won't sit here and say that there isn't a logical point in the season - even if I don't agree with the logic - that Vinny could lose his job due to the team being out of playoff contention. But we have only played three stinking games and these writers are circling Edwards like a bunch of sharks just waiting for him to say the right combination of words so that they can interpret it as if he is thinking of benching Vinny. These guys in the media clearly have an agenda and their writing this week has gone way beyond just reporting the news. September 22 - Five Men Suspected In Aiding Convicted Offender Paul Hackett In QB Assault: Those "Five Men" in question would be Machado, Mawae, Fabini, McKenzie, and Thomas - the Jets offensive line. How can the Jets offense get off the ground - even if Paul Hackett is the man behind the offensive curtain - if the offensive line isn't going to help Vinny or Curtis? Looks like there isn't going to be any Rolex watches for these guys at the end of the season! I guess the days of having a couple seconds in the pocket are a thing of the past for the New York Jets. Sixty percent of the previous year's offensive line is apparently not going to cut it in 2002. It looks like the offensive line and Paul Hackett's idiotic game-planning are going to run this offense straight into the ground. I mean, some of those who don't understand football or don't watch the games closely might be pointing the finger at Vinny for the lack of production right now. But take a guy like Curtis Martin who is used to having around 250 yards at this point in the season is on a pace to run for less than 1000 yards for the first time in his NFL career! There is something to those numbers. Is that all Martin's fault too? The O-line is now just tag-teaming with Paul Hackett in making the Jets offense arguably one of the worst in the league right now. And the sad thing is that they have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than most of the teams in the NFL! I'm still convinced of that. They look directionless out on the field....almost robotic. It's like they don't really believe in what they are doing. And who can blame them? It's a sad day when you watch Jay Fiedler and the Miami offense and you are envious. And don't let me even start with our defensive woes or how we are being out-coached week in and week out. So what are the possible cures to this nightmare? Well, I don't know how much things would change but would anyone object to an immediate removal of Paul Hackett on Monday and the promotion of Jimmy Raye as the interim Offensive Coordinator? I mean, can we continue with these rotten game plans for the entire season? Something has got to give. A little less drastic of an option would be to scrap - or heavily amend - this dreadful offense. But then again, Paul Hackett was brought in to run this particular offense because he is supposedly a Bill Walsh disciple and is a master of this craziness. Too bad this offense didn't stay on the west coast. As an even less drastic option, maybe we can add the shotgun formation to the offense. Why would we need it? The shotgun allows the QB some extra time in the pocket since he's already where he'd be positioned if he were to drop back to pass. Vinny is clearly not getting enough time and instead of making reads down field, he's being forced to look for his outlet receivers because he's constantly under duress. So why don't the Jets have a shotgun formation in their offense? That also comes back to our friend, Coach Hackett. The traditional West Coast Offense does not have a shotgun formation in it's arsenal. However, a traditional West Coast Offense also usually requires receivers who are six foot or taller. The Jets, as we know, do not meet that requirement. The point is, you need to run an offense that fits the talent of your players. Paul Hackett tries to run a textbook offense that does not work to the talents of the players. I also wouldn't object to a no-huddle offense either. The bottom line is that if Hackett's head doesn't roll and/or the Jets don't find a way to change things drastically on offense, it'll be Vinny's head that rolls and the long-awaited Chad Pennington era will begin....which will ultimately lead to the early end of my web site! And let me assure you that I'm not going on to make a ChadPennington10.com. A FirePaulHackett.com might have some life on the World Wind Web in the very near future, though. :) September 15 - The Best Team...On Paper: The Jets are clearly underachieving and have done so ever since the Herman Edwards regime has come into power. There is so much talent on this team - so much wasted talent - that it makes it so frustrating to watch the Jets at times. Today, the weather was almost as lousy as the game itself. I think the only guy who can hold his head high is Matt Turk - the punter. Just about everyone else helped contribute to this atrocity against the Patriots. The Jets couldn't run, they couldn't pass, and when they did, they were mostly dump-off passes to running backs. The offense they showcased in the preseason has been thrown out the window. It was too good to be true. The villain, once again, is Paul Hackett. The play-calling so far in the regular season has still remained on the conservative side. I often find myself wishing someone would cut the cord on Hackett's headset so Vinny could call his own plays. On the other side of the ball, another trend that has continued into the 2002 season is the inability to stop opposing teams on third down. Even when the Jets offense finally had generated a touchdown, the defense allowed several key third down conversions on the next Patriot drive that ended any hope of a dramatic comeback. No, that wasn't the reason we lost; it was just one of the many reasons. The defense also never even laid a hand on Tom Brady which allowed him plenty of time to do whatever he wanted. The flaw in the Cover 2 defensive scheme that the Jets run is that it depends on the defensive line to get pressure on the QB. If it doesn't, the QB is able to pick apart the defense - which is what we witnessed today. I don't think the Jets are as bad as this and this needs to serve as their wakeup call. I sure hope they feel as sick as I feel about this game. Speaking of feeling sick, I was not happy with how fast people turned on Vinny today in the stands. The boos for the offense as a whole were certainly earned. But when I hear people saying a variety of bad thing about Vinny, it's amazing how quickly people have forgotten how many wins this guy has lead them to. And on top of that, how quickly they forgot what it was like before his arrival to NY! I guess it comes with the territory of being the quarterback in the NFL. It doesn't mean I have to like it. Today, he was just one of the many people who contributed to the loss on the field. What's even clearer is that he is at the mercy of the offensive mind of Paul Hackett. The good thing is that we still have 14 games left to get this thing back on track but something tells me this offense will never reach its full potential this season - once again. I sure hope I'm wrong.... September 9 - Luck Always With Great Teams: Some might say the Jets were lucky today. Relying on two kick returns for touchdowns might have been leaning pretty heavily on luck. But all great teams become at one with luck during their season. It often shows it's face at the most opportune moments. Look at last year and the 'no fumble' call in the Patriots / Raiders playoff game. Luck has to be on your side to ultimately be successful in the NFL. You can't rely on it - it finds you. Maybe it's the dropped interception. Maybe it's injuries that don't happen or maybe it's the ones that turn out to be minor. Maybe it's a returned kick for a touchdown on the first play in overtime. Maybe it's the helmet over the goal line that is deemed a touchdown by the officials which ends up putting one team in the playoffs while knocking another one officially out of contention. Ok, maybe I'm being a little too specific (for those of you who remember how the Jets beat Seattle in 1998). But luck alone is not what makes any team win a game. There is a difference of having luck on your side and being "lucky". Point being, I don't want anyone saying the Jets were lucky to beat the Bills today. The Jets played with a lot of heart as they often do. They are battle tested and always believe they can pull out a game in the worst of circumstances (does being down 30-7 against the Dolphins ring a bell?). In their last two seasons, they've engineered close to ten late-game comeback victories. That's about half of their 19 total victories during that time frame. That's not luck. That's proof of their heart and a testament to the people on this team who refuse to quit. Today, they were resilient and endured almost 100 yards in penalties, they overcame the fact that the Bills owned the game clock and wore out the defense, and they even managed to win the game without the services of the "best player on the team" in Curtis Martin. They proved that they aren't a one man show as they are often perceived. They can beat you in all phases of the game. Today it was a combination of Vinny giving them the lead with a late touchdown pass to Chrebet (and a 2-point conversion to Becht) and Morton's OT runback. There will be different heroes on another day. I still believe they are the best "team" in the AFC and to me, today, they proved it. September 8 - The Best AFC "Team": While many of the NFL prognosticators are not predicting the Jets to make any kind of Superbowl push this year, I would have to disagree with them this time. Any Jets fan who has seen the offense take flight during the preseason has to be feeling that the sky's the limit for this team like I do. So why don't people think the Jets are a contender? From the outsider's point of view, they see an aging quarterback who hasn't posted ProBowl numbers in three seasons for starters. And on top of that, there are those who never respected Vinny Testaverde anyway. They also see a running back who doesn't dazzle them in any particular way. I mean, many people respect him because he is consistent but he because of his meat & potatoes style, people underestimate how good he is. Ricky Williams - a guy who hasn't even managed to play a full season yet - is being anointed the best running back in the division and caused many to deem the Dolphins Superbowl caliber because of his addition. Then you look at the wide receivers and you see Wayne Chrebet - a zero time ProBowl receiver - leading the group. Not trying to diminish what he means to the Jets but if you were a fan of another team who was facing this team, would you really lose any sleep worrying how your team was going to stop Wayne Chrebet? No. This guy's specialty isn't catching 10 balls a game. It's the little things he does and the key plays he makes that don't show up on a stat sheet. Then on the other side of the field is Coles who isn't exactly a house hold name. I don't even think I saw one person wearing this guy's jersey at the Jets/Giants preseason game and yet he is probably the best receiver on the team! The point I am trying to make before I go through the whole team is that I think that because the Jets don't seem to have players that are nationwide favorites. Guys like Eddie George, Jerome Bettis, Jerry Rice, Tom Brady, Ricky Williams, Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, etc. excite and convince people that they can propel a team to greatness single-handedly somehow. I just don't think a lot of people watch the Jets who live outside of NY are particularly wowed by anyone on this team. And that's good. To me, it is clear that the Jets may have the best 'team' in the AFC. These starters on paper can size up with the best teams out there. If this team can stay healthy, I truly believe that Vinny and the Jets can do some great things in 2002. August 12 - The Baltimore Ravens - Bitter Sweet Feelings: So Vinny goes back to Baltimore this week. The last regular season game that he played in that city was one of the darkest days in Vinny's career. A loss, in which he had a 481-yard performance against arguably the greatest defense of all-time, was plagued with turnovers and cost them their guaranteed playoff spot. Of course, Vinny's history in Baltimore goes further back than that game. This was the first place that I actually ever saw Vinny play live - actually 10 times in total by the end. Baltimore evokes good and bad memories for me. I realize that the majority of the visitors to this site didn't follow Vinny's career before he showed up in New York. As I mentioned on the homepage, I started following his career way back during his days in Tampa Bay. And through all the ups and downs throughout his career, I must say that one of my favorite time periods of his career was while he played in Baltimore for the Ravens. 1996 was the first season in which he was truly able to show everyone that he was indeed a special quarterback. He still stands as the only QB in NFL history to throw for over 30 TD's and 4,000 yards in a season for a losing team. The Ravens that year posted a 4-12 record. So how can 4-12 be a fun season? A record can be deceiving. They lost 7 games by a touchdown or less. They blew a halftime lead in almost every game of the season....thanks mainly to the defense. Those with a short-term memory might only be able to envision the dominating defense they've had for the last two or three years. But in 1996, the Ravens defense - even with Ray Lewis - was the worst in the league. Almost every lead was surrendered by a porous unit that constantly put the offense in compromising positions late in the game. And the loses were absolutely heartbreaking. Whether it was being stopped for four straight goal line plays at the end of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals or a perfectly thrown long-bomb prayer from Vinny that bounced off the facemask of WR Derrick Alexander that might have gotten the Ravens the go-ahead touchdown on the final drive against the Indianapolis Colts. I remember these moments almost as vividly as I remember some of the exciting victories I have witnessed while he's been with the Jets. Almost every Ravens game went down to the wire because Vinny and company wouldn't stop fighting until the very end. The luck you need in the NFL in order to win games was not with the Ravens in '96. As a Ravens fan at the time, I started to realize that Baltimore was a very fickle town. Some people liked Vinny while others booed him - even during his ProBowl season! Here was a town who was lucky to have football again and they would belly-ache about Vinny not doing enough. In 29 starts for the Ravens he threw 51 TD passes. But that, of course, wasn't good enough. The media would continue to harp on Vinny every for INT he would throw and nail him for every loss. And that criticism stuck with him until the very day he was cut in favor of Jim Harbaugh and Eric Zeier. Personally, I had mixed emotions about his departure because I knew that if they just had gotten him some help, he'd be the one with the Superbowl ring and not Trent Dilfer. Even so, I wouldn't change history even if I could. I'm happier that he went to a town that appreciated him - for the most part. He proved that when surrounded by talented guys - offensively and defensively - he could excel and lead a team to greatness and that he can be a winning quarterback. It was very satisfying when Art Modell had to eat his words (in which he proclaimed that Vinny had much to do with the losing in Baltimore) and admitted his poor judgment right after the Jets clinched the division in '98. And speaking of heartbreaking losses, some of you might even remember a game in '97 when Vinny's Ravens battled the Jets at the Meadowlands. Vinny threw a game tying TD pass with two seconds to go in regulation only to have the then-great Glenn Foley march the Jets to victory in the opening drive of OT. That game was like the nail in the coffin for Neil O'Donnell as well. It's funny how fate works. If Foley doesn't shine in that game and thwart Vinny's 4th quarter heroics, maybe the Ravens don't cut Vinny and/or maybe Foley doesn't end up with O'Donnell's job in which he ultimately losses to Vinny! Or maybe not. Anyhow, while it is only preseason AND while Vinny & the starting offense will only play a small amount, it would be satisfying for him to do well in Baltimore. Just like in Pittsburgh last week, it'd be nice to get just a small amount of redemption - even if it doesn't count. If anything else, it builds confidence in the players - and us fans - who are still probably a little skeptical about Paul Hackett’s cockamamie offense. We shall see. August 8 - The Beginning of the 2002 Season: This is my first post to this new section and I'll try and keep it brief...this time! Tonight Vinny Testaverde officially began his 16th season in the NFL. His performance was impressive and my hope is that it quells the nay sayers who feel that Vinny is not good enough, too old, or just want Pennington in there instead. Yes, it is only preseason but imagine if he came out and threw an INT on the first drive like Kordell Stewart did and that ended up being his only action of the night. Fans and critics have historically been a little more critical of him throughout his career than the average Joe so one meaningless INT would be a bigger deal because Vinny threw it. Instead, he orchestrated an impressive 16-play drive that lead to the only TD of the game. Now we can breathe easily in that not only did Vinny look good and stay healthy in his limited action, we should only hear positive reviews of his performance tomorrow.