Testaverde Comes to Jets' Rescue, at Least as Their Backup By Karen Crouse New York Times 9/28/05 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Sept. 27 - The middle-aged man was lodged on a couch in his Long Island home on another lazy Sunday afternoon watching his favorite childhood team, the Jets, play the Jacksonville Jaguars. When he saw quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler go down with shoulder injuries seven plays apart, he had the same reaction that no doubt countless Jets fans across the New York metropolitan area had. "God, I wish I could do something," Vinny Testaverde recalled thinking. Testaverde, of course, was not just another armchair quarterback. He had Jets Coach Herman Edwards on his speed dial, for one thing. And 18 seasons of N.F.L. experience, for another. On Monday night, after hearing reports that Pennington was likely to be out for the season with a torn right rotator cuff and that Fiedler would also be sidelined indefinitely, Testaverde phoned Edwards. He played under Edwards with the Jets from 2001 to 2003 before finishing his N.F.L. career - or so he thought - with the Dallas Cowboys last season. "Herm," the 41-year-old Testaverde said he told Edwards, "I'm here for you if you need me in whatever capacity." That phone call led to Tuesday's signing of Testaverde to be the backup to Brooks Bollinger, who will be making his first N.F.L. start Sunday in Baltimore. Edwards said he was inclined to sign Testaverde on Monday night, but he slept on the decision. When he woke up still believing it was the right thing to do, he said, he called Testaverde and told him, "Get over here right away." Fifteen minutes later, Testaverde was at the Jets' practice facility. A minute after that, he was in the weight room. Fiedler and Pennington, meanwhile, took the same flight to Alabama on Tuesday to be examined by Dr. James Andrews. During a news conference to announce the signing at the practice facility, Testaverde, who grew up in nearby Elmont, said he expected that the only way he would return to the team was "to be for a one-day contract and to retire as a New York Jet." This was especially true, he said, after the Jets signed Fiedler as a free agent in March. "Never did I think I was going to be, especially after they signed Jay, back here playing, helping this team in the position that I'm in today," he said. Testaverde played in all 16 games last season with the Cowboys, starting 15. He completed 297 of 495 passes for 3,532 yards, the third-highest yardage total of his career. He threw 17 touchdowns passes and 20 interceptions. Testaverde, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 draft, has played in 217 regular-season games and ranks among the top 10 in the N.F.L. in career passing yardage (44,475), passing attempts (6,420), completions (3,631) and touchdown passes (268). Bollinger, who was drafted by the Jets in the sixth round in 2003, has played in one game, throwing nine passes and completing five in a 13-3 victory at Arizona last season. Testaverde endeared himself to Jets fans in 1998, when he led the team to within a game of the Super Bowl. He started every game for the Jets in 2000 and 2001, making him the last Jets quarterback to start every game in a season. A number of teams, including the Giants, passed on him during the off-season this year, but he continued to throw twice a week and to lift weights. "I just think for us right now, 13 games left, he's a good guy to have, a veteran guy who's played a lot," Edwards said. Dallas signed Testaverde last year for much the same reasons. He has managed to remain gainfully employed into his 40's because of his well-preserved physique and his well-deserved reputation for being a panacea when all else fails. The appeal of Testaverde, who turns 42 on Nov. 13, was summed up this way by Edwards: "I think it is a good fit for us." Testaverde is comfort food for the souls of the Jets' shell-shocked offense. He has played with many of the current Jets, including receivers Laveranues Coles and Wayne Chrebet, linemen Jason Fabini and Kevin Mawae and running backs Curtis Martin and Jerald Sowell. "I think they have a lot of respect for Vinny, especially the guys on offense that have played with him," Edwards said. "He can help Brooks, and if something should happen," he added, knocking on the wooden lectern, "he's a guy that can go in and have experience playing in games." The move was lauded by the Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, who retired from the Miami Dolphins after sustaining the same type of rotator cuff injury that has now felled Pennington twice. "Vinny's the perfect guy," Griese said Tuesday by telephone. "He's been there before. I don't know what else you can do. You have to go out and get a veteran. You can't go out and get a first- or second-year guy. Sure, Vinny's not going to be as mobile or have the skills of a first-round 24-year-old draft pick, but he's going to have the brains and intelligence." Testaverde spent much of Tuesday going over the playbook with the quarterbacks coach, Jeremy Bates. He said they first met when Bates was a ball boy for the Cleveland Browns when Testaverde played for them from 1993 to 1995. If that does not make Testaverde feel old, there is this: Receiver Jerricho Cotchery was 4 when Testaverde was drafted by Tampa Bay. "I just have to rely on my experiences of the past 18 years," Testaverde said, "and hopefully that's going to be good enough." He laughed. "I wish him all the best," he said. "It's a great story."