Vinneeee   -   Old Guys on Center Stage This Weekend

Vinnie Testaverde as a Panther	Vinnie with Parcells as a Cowboy

(Photos courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

by Jimmy Russotto                                                                        

10/12/07

This writer will be paying close attention this weekend to the Carolina Panthers in their battle with the Arizona Cardinals as there is a good chance that it’ll match up two of my favorite old geezers at quarterback, Vinnie Testaverde and Kurt Warner.  Vinnie was recently acquired by Panthers coach John Fox after losing Jake Delhomme and maybe backup David Carr.  Warner, who had been splitting time at QB for the Cards with wunderkind Matt Leinart, became the starter this week as Leinart suffered a broken collarbone.

 

Imagine!  Vinnie, who turns 44 next month, has been in the league now for 20 years and has so far thrown at least one TD pass in every single one of them.  A number one draft choice by the Tampa Bay Bucs in 1987, he endured six years with that sorry franchise and has since played for the Browns, Ravens, Jets, Cowboys, Patriots and Panthers.  He made the Pro Bowl as late as 1996 and 1998.  A Brooklyn kid, he’s tough as nails and throws accurately.  Through 2006, he had thrown 270 TD passes and sported a nifty overall 56.6 completion percentage.

 

Kurt Warner, a venerable 36 years old,  is a country boy from Iowa, who went undrafted and played in NFL Europe before breaking in with a bang in 1999 for the Rams.  He chucked a whopping 41 TD passes in 1999 and won the Super Bowl in January, 2000. He then threw another 36 TD passes two years later.  Prone to injury for years after his monumental start, he’s since played for the Giants and the Cards, providing a valuable backup and spot starter in addition to a providing a great deal of character.

 

Although Carr may feel well enough to start, I’m hoping he does the honorable thing and stays on the bench.  An NFL game matching two great old quarterbacks of a combined 80 years of age is too good to miss.

 

In another intriguing return to action will be Keenan McCardell, 37 ½ years old, who was recently picked up by the Redskins and promptly made a big catch or two.  McCardell was a star for Jacksonville from 1996-2001, then played for both Tampa Bay and San Diego. He started playing NFL football back in 1992 for the Cleveland Browns, making it a total of 15 years playing a position that requires the greatest speed and agility.  He and the Skins will be facing the venerable Brett Favre in Green Bay.  Favre turned 38 years old this past Wednesday and still sports a QB rating of 94 and change.  He has led his team to a 4-1 record despite an obvious lack of any Packers running game.

 

In the biggest NFL game of the weekend, the undefeated Patriots face the similarly lossless Cowboys in Big D.  Although I’d hate to see anything happen to the great young QB Tony Romo, he’s backed up by another ageless one, Brad Johnson, who at 39 years old has played since 1994 for Minnesota, Washington, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Dallas.  He’s thrown for 164 TD’s and sports a career QB rating of 83.1.

 

It might surprise most people to know that, in that same game, Terrell Owens will be 34 on December 7^th.  Matching the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor vs. T.O. sneaking up on the Eagles and Donovan McNabb, I don’t know which one was more of a surprise.

 

New England has some older players too, as you’d expect from a Bill Bellichick team.  Bellichick, the new George Allen, fields TE Kyle Brady, 35, linebacker Teddy Bruschi, 34, Rodney Harrison who at 35 is still able to play an All-Pro safety position, and another real geezer candidate on defense, Junior Seau, who at 38 years of age managed to get the game ball last week for his interceptions.

 

If not for the impact for me of the Vinny vs. Kurt matchup, I’d be more excited about the Red Sox vs. Indians Division Series.  The Red Sox just moved another Kurt (actually Curt), named Schilling to pitch Game 2 of their seven-game series.  Curt is probably most famous for saving the Red Sox season two years ago, this despite pitching with a bloody foot that was clearly visible through his socks.  Schilling is nearing 41 years of age, still throws darts, is 216-146 for his career and has struck out well over 3,000 batters.  He went 22-6 and then 23-7 for the World Series winning Arizona franchise back in 2001-2002 and 21-6 for Boston in their World Series winning year of 2004.  Schilling didn’t really turn great until 2001 and has gone 106-51 since that season.  Supposedly what turned him around was a talk with still another ageless wonder, Roger Clemens, back around that same time.

 

Boston also has Mike Timlin, 41, a reliever who can still turn in a good job in a tight spot, and Tim Wakefield, the great old knuckle-baller, also 41, who can drive batters straight up the wall.  One of the best and most colorful Red Sox of all time, namely Manny Ramirez, is 35 years old.  He was last seen posturing at home plate as still another of his tape-measure job home runs soared over the wall in the NLCS vs. the suddenly-overmatched Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (believe it or not, that’s their name).

 

So cheer up, old warriors; there is hope.  Just year-round conditioning, good nutrition, a lot of luck and talent and you too might someday be in a position to amaze your friends and colleagues.  You might even match the exploits of Julio Franco someday.  He was last seen helping the New York Mets this year at 49 years of age.  You might recall him wisely coaxing Carlos Beltran out of the dugout when the fans called for him. He was later released but moved back to play for the Atlanta Braves, who can still recognize a good player.