Vin And Vigor In Dallas By Ryan O'Halloran Hampton Roads Daily Press 9/27/04 ASHBURN -- The general reaction when Vinny Testaverde signed with the Dallas Cowboys before training camp was that he would serve as Quincy Carter's backup and Drew Henson's mentor. Things changed, though, in early August when Carter was released and Testaverde was inserted as the starter. Through two games, he hasn't made coach Bill Parcells regret the decision. Testaverde, 40, the NFL's oldest starting quarterback, leads the league with 677 passing yards, and his consecutive 300-yard passing games are the first by a Dallas quarterback since Don Meredith in 1963. "I was looking for a place to go and compete for a starting job," he said. "After talking with Coach Parcells, it seemed like a great fit. I knew his system, I knew his philosophy, and more importantly I knew him and what he's about." Dallas' running game has stalled (24th in the league) so the Cowboys have leaned on Testaverde's right arm. He has thrown a league-high 85 passes and the offense is averaging 432 yards per game, second-best in the NFL. "We feel like we're moving the ball pretty well, but the yardage we have is not equaling the points that we want to get off it," Testaverde said. "For every hundred yards, we want seven points. We want to score more points and have less penalties." Testaverde had his greatest success with the Jets and Parcells. In 1998, Testaverde went 12-1 as a starter, throwing 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The Jets lost to Denver in the AFC championship game. Testaverde missed all of Parcells' final season with the Jets when he ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the 1999 season opener. He was 10-6 in 2001 before making way for Chad Pennington. In the Cowboys' 1-1 start, Testaverde is 52-of-85 with two touchdowns and three interceptions. "He's doing well," Parcells said. "I have confidence in the player based on my history with him. I know him, I like him personally and we have a good communication base. He can deal with Parcells when Parcells gets off the reservation and that's important - that's what Phil Simms and Drew Bledsoe were able to do." Parcells, though, knows Dallas has to run the ball better, and the Cowboys could struggle tonight against the Redskins' top-ranked run defense. "This has been a rough journey for (Testaverde)," Parcells said. "I hope at some point in time, we don't have to be quite as reliant on him has we have been."