Testaverde Hears It Again From Parcells QB said he can handle tirades from coach By Juliet Macur New York Times News Service 9/26/04 IRVING - Vinny Testaverde heard that grumble growing to a growl, always a warning of yet another Bill Parcells tirade in which the words become sledgehammers. Testaverde, pulled from oblivion by Parcells and made the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, had just thrown his third interception in three possessions last Sunday against Cleveland. As he walked off the field, head down, he knew he would get an earful. "It wasn't my first time being chewed out by him and it won't be my last," Testaverde said, able to laugh about it later because the Cowboys won, 19-12, despite his mistakes. "You've got to remember, I've been around long enough to handle that. I know Bill Parcells pretty well. We understand each other. I know that he could say the same thing over and over, but mean different things each time." Parcells' R-rated diatribes are often delivered with raised eyebrows suggesting incredulity, as in "How dumb can you be?" Sometimes they come with a deadeye stare that has paralyzed many a bumbler. But Testaverde, who at age 40 has been a player in the NFL for more seasons than Parcells, 63, has been a head coach, has learned to translate Parcells' language into English, and then use his advice on the field. In 1998 with the New York Jets, Parcells and Testaverde went 12-4 and reached the American Football Conference championship game before losing to Denver, the eventual Super Bowl winner. That's the kind of success the Cowboys are chasing in their second season under Parcells, their first with Testaverde. They hope that Testaverde's presence will help them better understand Parcells, the Jersey guy with goals set high for a team that surprisingly made the playoffs last season. To many Cowboys, Testaverde is a different type of player. "There is just an aura about Vinny because he has been there and done that, but he also really knows how to deal with coach Parcells," said the backup guard Matt Lehr, the starting center last season. "It's still stressful here, but Vinny makes it a little easier."