COWBOYS Testaverde gets ready for 18th season in NFL

Vinny Testavede is the oldest starting QB in the NFL, but not the oldest QB.
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Vinny Testaverde is getting ready for his 18th NFL opener, so he definitely knows what to expect.
Pre-game jitters. And lots of them.
Even after 189 regular-season games, Testaverde is sure he'll have a fluttery stomach before the Dallas Cowboys play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The difference between 40-year-old Testaverde and, say, 21-year-old rookie cornerback Jacques Reeves, is that Testaverde knows how to make the most out of the jumble of anxiety, excitement and other emotions that will overcome him.
"You just learn how to deal with it better. You know what to expect and anticipate and you go from there," Testaverde said Tuesday. "I think if you didn't get nervous or have those emotions, you'd be made of stone."
Didn't want to quit
Testaverde started only 11 games for the New York Jets over the last two years and knew he wouldn't be back in 2004. Faced with the chance that the thrill would be gone forever, he wasn't ready to call it a career.
First, he believed he could help a team. Second, he wasn't sure there was anything else he could do.
"I guess I'm just too old to start a new job," he said, smiling.
Actually, the second part is that he realized he wasn't ready to give up the only career he ever wanted.
"If you ask most sports fans what they would want to do for a living, I think most would pick being a starting quarterback in the NFL, no matter how old they are," he said. "It's a great job to have. ... I've always said as long as I'm able to contribute to the team and as long as I'm having fun and healthy, I want to play."
Has great arm
Testaverde had things working for him: An arm that Cowboys coach Bill Parcells says will still be NFL-caliber when Testaverde is 60 and the fact Parcells, who had coached him in New York, was looking for a veteran to back up Quincy Carter.
Testaverde went from competing for the starting job to having it handed to him early in training camp when Carter was cut. It was the first time Testaverde went through preseason as the No. 1 quarterback since 2001, back when he was a spry 37.
The extra work has left him in better shape and with a better working relationship with his teammates. It also helped him pick up where he left off with Parcells.
"The word trust is very important," Parcells said. "If you know what you are going to get from a guy consistently, it enables you to coach them better."
Parcells said Tuesday that he knows Testaverde so well that he can already envision the quarterback's four sisters boiling up huge batches of macaroni for the family's game-watching party on Sunday. He also can adjust his play-calling based on one look from Testaverde or even just by reading his body language.
"It's a good situation," Testaverde said.
Oldest starting QB
Testaverde is the oldest starting QB in the NFL, but only second-oldest overall. Doug Flutie has him beat by 13 months.
Still, to put Testaverde's tenure in perspective, consider that high school seniors were born around the time he was drafted.
When Testaverde was a rookie, he met Warren Moon at a quarterback challenge contest. As Moon played into his mid-40s, Testaverde admired him from afar and thought about him when he decided to keep playing.
Moon happened to visit team headquarters Tuesday and had some advice about being "an old quarterback."
Rule No. 1: Ignore critics.
"As soon as you have a bad game or a bad quarter, it's all because of your age," Moon said, adding that coaches could care less about that statistic. "You wouldn't even be out there if he thought your age had to do with it."
Experience is factor
Moon pointed to the success of star players from other sports, especially Barry Bonds, who are excelling at what was once considered an advanced age. He also talked about veteran smarts compensating for any loss of physical ability. Experience, he said, "makes the game slow down."
Testaverde doesn't mind all the talk about his age. But he makes it clear this season isn't part of an AARP-NFL crusade.
"I'm not out to prove that 40-year-olds can still play. I'm out to prove to my teammates I can play and be successful and help them win," he said. "It doesn't matter if I'm 25 or 40, that would be my same outlook."