Testaverde Going Strong At 40 By Steve King Associate Editor / ClevelandBrowns.com 9/15/04 The first part of Vinny Testaverde's career was a joke. The Heisman Trophy winner as a senior at the University of Miami in 1986, he had been reduced to a struggling, confused-looking pro quarterback on a horrible Tampa Bay team that was the laughingstock of the NFL. Testaverde and the Buccaneers seemed made for one another. But now the joke's on everyone else. At 40 years old -- he'll be 41 on Nov. 13 -- he has turned his career around. Playing in his 18th NFL season, he has not only silenced many of his critics. He has also outlasted them. And the key to all that may well have been his three years in Cleveland, more specifically the middle season of that tenure, 1994. Without that, it's a good bet Testaverde would have retired long ago. But as it turns out, he will be starting for the Dallas Cowboys when they host the Browns on Sunday at Texas Stadium. "I think that 1994 season has had a big effect on why I'm still here," Testaverde said Wednesday during a conference call with the Cleveland media. "My stay in Tampa was kind of a rocky road. Then I came to Cleveland (as an unrestricted free agent in 1993) and we made the playoffs in '94. Being there with the Browns allowed me to be more consistent as a quarterback." In 1993, after taking over as the starter when Bernie Kosar fell out of favor with coach Bill Belichick, Testaverde threw more touchdown passes (14) than interceptions (nine) for the first time in his career. It was in stark contrast to his first six seasons with the Bucs, when he passed for 77 scores but was picked off 112 times. That set the stage for 1994, when Testaverde, playing in a much more controlled system than he had had in Tampa Bay, helped guide the Browns to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth for the first time in five seasons. With the Bucs and in his first year in Cleveland, he hadn't come close to smelling the postseason. It wasn't a spectacular season statistically by any means. In one sense, he reverted back to his Bucs form by throwing for 16 TDs and 18 interceptions, giving him a quarterback rating of just 70.7. But it was drastically different than his Tampa Bay days in that any time he needed to make a big throw, he made it. That was true when Testaverde and the Browns triumphed 19-14 at Dallas, which had a defensive coordinator named Butch Davis. Testaverde even won a playoff game for the Browns that year, beating New England 20-13 in the Wildcard round at old Cleveland Stadium. "I had a lot of good times in Cleveland, but that playoff game might have been my best moment," Testaverde said. "Coach (Bill) Parcells was the coach for the Patriots that day." And now, of course, Parcells is coaching the Cowboys. Just as he did when he was guiding the New York Jets, Parcells has brought Testaverde to Dallas to be his starter -- at least for the time being until rookie Drew Henson is ready. Testaverde signed with the Cowboys on June 3 after the Jets, well satisfied with Chad Pennington, cut him loose. Testaverde believes the reason he went to the Jets in 1998 after two years with the relocated Browns in Baltimore, and is with the Cowboys now, is because of his time in Cleveland. "If I had gone to Cleveland and had had just a suspect season in 1994 (his first full year as a starter with the Browns), Bill Belichick would have found someone else to be his quarterback then," he said. "And as the defensive coordinator of the Jets in 1998, he would not have talked to Coach Parcells about bringing me to New York." Considering that he played well with the Jets, helping them get to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, Parcells called on him again this year to try to save his quarterback-starved team. Last year's starter, Quincy Carter, was released during training camp. Testaverde, who threw just 198 times all last season with the Jets, put the ball up 50 times last Sunday in a season-opening 35-17 loss at Minnesota. "I hope we're not throwing 50 times every week," said Testaverde, who completed 29 for 355 yards and a TD. "We want to have a more balanced attack." Forget the balanced attack stuff. It's kind of cool to see Testaverde throw the ball so much. Here's a guy who was born in 1963 -- back in the days of black and white TV, making him older than seven current Browns assistants. He began his NFL career when most of the Cleveland defenders he'll face Sunday were still in strollers. Yet he is still able to play a young man's game. Browns free safety Earl Little, a lifelong Hurricanes fan, remembers going to the Orange Bowl and watching Testaverde perform for Miami in the mid-1980s. "It's an honor to play against him," Little said. "He's still throwing the ball pretty well. He's one of the best there is at throwing the deep ball." Added Browns cornerback Michael Lehan, who was seven years old when Testaverde was a rookie with the Bucs, "For having played 18 years, he's still got a strong arm. He doesn't look like a guy who's 40. "He's not going to scramble around and dive into the corner of the end zone like Jeff Garcia, but he makes plays. He's a savvy guy, and that makes up for any athletic ability he may have lost over the years. It's the same thing as when you watch Jerry Rice. You can't believe the guy is still playing." Testaverde has been in the NFL for so long that Lawrence McCutcheon, the former Rams running back who is the father of Browns cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, missed playing against him by only eight seasons. "I'm in only my sixth year," Daylon McCutcheon said. "I couldn't imagine playing 18 years. I've got to give it up to him." Ditto for Browns defensive end Kenard Lang. "I played against him once when he was at Baltimore and I was with Washington," he said. "That tells you how long ago that was (1997)." At 34, Garcia is a virtual pup when compared to Testaverde. "I can't imagine playing at 40," Garcia said. "I give him tremendous credit for still playing the game. How does Testaverde do it? How does he go on while his contemporaries retire and go off to their life's work? "He's a physical conditioning maniac," Parcells said. "It's amazing to see the way he works, not just during the season but for the majority of the rest of the year as well. "God was also very good to him initially. Vinny's a good physical specimen. And when you combine being a good physical specimen with the right work ethic, you've got something. Some guys have one characteristic, but they don't have the other." Davis, who was an assistant at Miami when Testaverde played there, agreed. "Vinny is a phenomenal athlete," the coach said. "He's one of the best physical specimens you'll ever see." All good things must eventually come to an end. But when? Testaverde has no idea how much longer he'll play. "At this point of my career, I take it one game at a time. Forget about one year at a time," he said. "But as long as I still enjoy it, I'm healthy, I can contribute to the team and I can stay out of harm's way, I'd like to stay with it. "I don't view 40 as others might view it. It's just a mindset." Testaverde went on, "I came into the league with (one-time Browns wide receiver) Mark Carrier. We were both drafted by Tampa. We talked about it, and our initial goal was to somehow make it to 10 years. "He played 12 or 13 years, and here I am still playing in my 18th year. It's been a lot of fun -- a real great experience. But I'm still trying to chase that Super Bowl championship.