Testaverde, Palmer Have Plenty In Common By Jaime Aron Associated Press 11/4/04 IRVING, Texas - Dallas quarterback Vinny Testaverde sees a kindred spirit in Cincinnati's Carson Palmer. Back in 1987, Testaverde was the Heisman Trophy winner drafted No. 1 overall by a lousy franchise. Fans saw him as the savior, so he became the target of their anger when the losing continued. The ugliness he endured went beyond wins and losses. Do you remember those Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniforms? Testaverde outlasted his early struggles, as evidence by the fact he'll be leading the Cowboys into Cincinnati on Sunday, a week shy of his 41st birthday. The scars remain, though, including the albatross of having the most losses of any quarterback in NFL history. Now look at Palmer ... if you dare, considering the orange uniforms the Bengals will be unveiling Sunday against the Cowboys. Palmer won the Heisman and was taken first by Cincinnati. He sat out his rookie season and the team went 8-8 without him. He's taking all the snaps this season and the Bengals are 2-5, making fans restless. Testaverde's advice: "Just stick to what you believe in." "You're going to have ups and downs," Testaverde said. "I think if you're mentally tough enough it only makes you a better player." Seven quarterbacks were taken No. 1 overall in the 15 drafts between Testaverde and Palmer. The list includes two Super Bowl starters (Troy Aikman and Drew Bledsoe), a perennial All-Pro (Peyton Manning), two busts (Jeff George and Tim Couch) and two rising stars (Michael Vick and David Carr). "You just need to go in and play quarterback, play your position, doing the things the coach is asking you to do, and really not too much more than that," Testaverde said. "When you start to press, when you start to do other people's jobs, that's when things go bad for you." Testaverde has seen Palmer play and believes all he's lacking is experience, from figuring out defensive schemes to learning how to pace himself mentally and physically. Palmer, meanwhile, is looking forward to this game, too, though not because of Testaverde. Palmer grew up a big fan of the Cowboys and their quarterback then, Troy Aikman. "It was just the way he sat in the pocket and threw the ball," Palmer said. Aikman's rough rookie season is the one all quarterbacks look back on, especially because of how well he bounced back. Aikman and former Bengals star Boomer Esiason are among the QBs who have given Palmer advice similar to what Testaverde said. "I think all quarterbacks relate to going through tough times because it is tough at first," Palmer said. "You're in a lot of situations that you've never been in before and at times you can feel like you're in over your head and you keep pushing, you keep fighting, you keep working through and you know better days will come." ------ SHARP-DRESSED MEN: Think it's tough blocking for an old quarterback on a team with nothing but inexperienced backups? Well, it can be rewarding, too. As a thank-you for keeping him upright (13 sacks in seven games), Vinny Testaverde recently treated his offensive linemen to a steak dinner and on Monday they arrived at work to find custom-fitted suits in their lockers. Testaverde flew in a clothier from California to measure the big guys and let them select their new threads, including ties, shirts and socks. The bill was well over $10,000. "I take care of the guys who take care of me ... as long as I'm standing," said Testaverde, who gave Rolex watches to his linemen on the Jets. "There is a lot more to be given out if things go well. It's my way of letting them know I appreciate their effort." Kurt Vollers said they definitely know it. "Vinny went out of the way," Vollers said. "We'll look clean and sharp for the Cincinnati game. It's nice to have someone acknowledge that we exist. ... He's spoiling us."