Testaverde back in league; joins Patriots

The 43-year-old is with his sixth NFL team.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Vinny Testaverde strode into his latest locker room, the gray flecks in his hair matching the color of the New England Patriots sweat shirt on his back.
Two days past his 43rd birthday, the still strong-armed quarterback stood at his locker with the No. 14 on it -- his usual No. 16 already belongs to Matt Cassel -- before his first practice with his new team Wednesday.
Testaverde was born more than three years before the first Super Bowl. He is the only player to have thrown a touchdown pass in each of his 19 NFL seasons. Why start again with his sixth team and the season more than half over?
"A lot of my friends and family asked me why am I still doing this," Testaverde said. "The simple reason is because I still think I can go out on a field and be productive."
Coach Bill Belichick hopes that never happens and told Testaverde that. If he does play, it means that both Tom Brady and Cassel will have been injured.
No controversy, please
Testaverde is fine with that. He said he'll help wherever he can. He can run scout team plays that Cassel usually handles and use his experience to help in quarterback meetings and on the sidelines.
At his age -- and after coming out of retirement last season and playing six games with the New York Jets -- he's not about to get into a quarterback controversy. Belichick cut off any sign that one might start in the wake of the Patriots' first back-to-back losses since December 2002 and consecutive poor games by Brady.
The coach, who is very careful not to share information that might help an opponent, was unusually direct at the beginning of his regular Wednesday news conference.
"Vinny would be the third quarterback," Belichick said. "I hope he doesn't play at all, but if something happens, at least we have ourselves protected there."
A few minutes later, the clearly miffed coach shot down a question about whether Testaverde would compete with Cassel, a seventh-round pick last year who threw just 33 passes in college and has played in only two NFL games.
He's an emergency quarterback
"Did I say that?" he said. "Well, I'm not saying that. I didn't say it and don't even start that. He's an emergency quarterback. He's the third quarterback. He'll be inactive for every game as the third quarterback unless something happens to the other two guys.
"I don't know how I can possibly be any clearer about that. I don't think there's any need to ask that question six more times and get the same answer. He's the third quarterback."
If an emergency quarterback enters the game before the fourth quarter, the player he replaced cannot return that day. Brady has been listed as probable on every injury report last season and this, but said Wednesday, "I'm not hurt at all."
Testaverde is familiar with the offensive system, having played for Cleveland from 1993-95 when Belichick was head coach, and for the Jets from 1998-99, when Belichick was assistant head coach. Belichick said the quarterback worked out in Foxborough several weeks ago and the Patriots had been considering signing him for four or five weeks.
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