The 10 Reasons Vinny Testaverde Will Start Every Game By Jennifer Floyd Engel Fort Worth Star-Telegram Staff Writer 8/26/04 Vinny Testaverde apparently has an awful case of the toos. Too old, too immobile, too slow are the reasons hardly anybody believes the Cowboys quarterback can survive an entire NFL season. You can practically hear the snickering in the NFL circles, as if the mere thought of the almost 41-year-old playing in 16 games is preposterous. You have to believe, though, that Bill Parcells would not have kissed Quincy Carter goodbye if he didn't believe Testaverde could make it and if he didn't have a plan for helping him through the season. Will the Cowboys have to sacrifice some other things to keep Testaverde safe and sound? Sure, but here are 10 reasons to believe he will start all 16 games this season: 1. He has a "Million Dollar Man" body Testaverde is 40, but his body, which has carried him through 18 NFL seasons, does not act its age. Nobody in the NFL is immune to injuries, but Testaverde is not a breakable mess simply because he is 40. 2. He has a freak-of-nature throwing arm Coach Bill Parcells likes to joke that the day before Testaverde dies he is going to go outside and throw the ball 60-plus yards like it is no big deal. That speaks to the durability of his arm, plus having that vertical passing game makes the Cowboys a much, much better team. 3. His off-season routine It would make an Olympic athlete tired. His days began at 7 a.m. He lifted weights for two hours. He ate a little breakfast. He went to a local field and threw 60 passes. Every day. Every single day. 4. The line will block The line problems that have plagued the Cowboys in recent seasons are fixin' to go away, one way or another. Either the Larry Allens and Andre Gurodes will be better or they will be replaced with people capable of protecting Testaverde and giving him time to do what he does best. 5. Parcells has a way with older players O.J. Anderson was supposedly done when he arrived in New York -- too old, too slow. Parcells figured a way to use him without overusing him and, under this plan, Anderson thrived, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. 6. Henson is too good to rush. Owner Jerry Jones was only half kidding when he asked Parcells to let him be giddy about Drew Henson's great training camp and optimistic about his chances of being the next Troy Aikman, but the Cowboys know they are better off if Henson does not have to play this year. 7. Best of the bunch It is going to be hard to yank Testaverde, even if he struggles, when the Cowboys' options for replacing him are an undrafted second-year player, a baseball expatriate or a waiver wire candidate to be named later. 8. The ultimate bus driver. Playing quarterback for Parcells does not exactly require perfection. He asks only that they keep the mistakes and turnovers down, which has been Testaverde's specialty in recent seasons. He has 52 interceptions and 76 touchdown passes in the past six seasons. 9. The three receivers Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant. A quarterback is only as good as his receivers, and the Cowboys have surrounded Testaverde with a group capable of going over the middle, going deep and making spectacular catches. 10. His final shot Testaverde has done a whole bunch in his NFL career, just about everything, except the one thing that keeps him playing 19 years later. He wants to win a Super Bowl, and the Cowboys are likely his last kick at the can.