Cowboys Giving Testaverde A Chance Veteran will compete with Carter for starting quarterback job By Jean-Jacques Taylor The Dallas Morning News 6/4/04 IRVING -- Vinny Testaverde signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys on Thursday because owner Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells promised him an opportunity to compete with Quincy Carter for the starting quarterback job. "We basically have an incumbent in Quincy, but we want to be better than we've been at quarterback. Competition creates that," Jones said at a news conference. "There will be competition for who's on the field at any time. We know this is going to make us better. "Vinny came here to play. He came here to compete as a starter. He knows he's going to be given that kind of opportunity." Testaverde's deal, which did not include a signing bonus, has a base salary of $1.1 million that could increase to as much as $5 million if he plays 14 games and achieves most of the incentives contained in the contract. The addition of Testaverde puts Chad Hutchinson's future in doubt because Jones said the Cowboys won't take five quarterbacks to training camp next month in Oxnard, Calif. Hutchinson, who has spent the last week in Birmingham, Ala., getting treatment on a shoulder injury he suffered in NFL Europe, is the leading quarterback candidate to be released because the Cowboys think Drew Henson and Tony Romo have more potential. Testaverde, 40, who will wear No. 16, will participate in the club's three-day minicamp that begins Saturday. Testaverde passed for 1,385 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions in seven starts with the New York Jets last season. The Jets wanted him to be their third-string quarterback this season, but the 17-year veteran still yearns to play. "The opportunity to compete as the starter excites me. I didn't have that opportunity in New York," Testaverde said. "I know what Coach Parcells desires to win. I know how he approaches the game, and I understand his philosophy." Carter passed for more than 3,300 yards last season with 17 touchdowns and 21 interceptions as the Cowboys advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. This season marks the first time as a pro that he will have the same head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in consecutive seasons. "I'm excited about having someone like Vinny, who has so much experience and really understands X's and O's, come in here," Carter said. "I can benefit from his presence, and so can our team." Testaverde said he didn't know if he and Carter would split practice repetitions 50-50 or if Parcells would give him 15 or 20 percent like a traditional backup. "I know he's going to play the guy who gives him the best chance to win," Testaverde said. And what if that is Carter? "I won't be disappointed at all," Testaverde said. "If there's somebody better, obviously they deserve to play and this team deserves for them to be their quarterback, and I will do anything that I can to help this team win football games whether it's on the field or the bench." Testaverde had the best season of his career under Parcells, when he led the Jets to the AFC Championship game in 1998. He passed for more than 3,200 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions that season. "Three of those interceptions were my fault," Cowboys receiver and former Jet Keyshawn Johnson said. "People think Vinny is used up, but he's not. He needs Parcells. He needs this offense."