Vinny back in saddle
Vinny back in saddle
newsday.com
Vinny Testaverde was getting reacquainted with his surroundings at Weeb Ewbank Hall yesterday when he was introduced to his new quarterbacks coach, Jeremy Bates.
Testaverde, 41, immediately realized that he knew Bates, 29, who was a teenage ball boy in Cleveland when Testaverde was there in the early '90s.
"We had a good laugh upstairs a little while ago," Testaverde said.
In the midst of perhaps the biggest crisis in their history, the Jets turned to an old friend. They hope his presence, leadership, and his talent for throwing a football can steady a team that has been emotionally devastated by the loss of Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler to season-ending shoulder injuries.
"For those of you who don't know me, my name is Vinny Testaverde," he deadpanned in a news conference few people thought would ever happen.
The Jets' offense was in full scramble mode after losing Pennington and Fiedler in a span of seven plays Sunday against the Jaguars. Coordinator Mike Hei.merdinger first must tailor a game plan that suits the strengths and weaknesses of Brooks Bollinger, who will start Sunday in Baltimore.
The plan is for Testaverde, who hasn't taken a snap since January, to work his way into the starting job and then hold it down the best he can. Testaverde got a one-year, minimum-salary deal and will be Bollinger's backup Sunday. The third-stringer will be signed today; it is believed to be Kliff Kingsbury, most recently on the Broncos' practice squad.
It was Testaverde who called coach Herman Edwards Monday night. Edwards wasn't sure what he'd do, but asked him to stay by the phone.
After sleeping on the decision, Edwards became convinced Testaverde was the right fit instead of Jesse Palmer, Doug Johnson, or Jonathan Quinn. "I feel the right decision was to bring Vinny back," Edwards said.
It was the only choice he could make.
Notes & quotes: Fiedler, who joined Pennington in getting a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., has a dislocated right shoulder. If it requires surgery, he will not play again this season ... LT Jason Fabini, who has a second-degree MCL sprain in his right knee, will not play Sunday ... Former Hofstra LB Renauld Williams was signed to the practice squad.