Old Man Vinny
Jeremiah O. Sarkett |Oct 15,2007
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 Old Man Vinny
Last week, Testaverde turned down an offer from the Cardinals, opting to stay on the east coast and signed with the Panthers instead -- Carolina is glad that he did. Testaverde looked like he was in his thirties Sunday as he went 20-of-33 for 206 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The Cardinals contacted Testaverde after learning that Matt Leinart had broken his collarbone and the plan was for Vinny to back up Kurt Warner. After talking with his family, Testaverde decided that the desert was just too far away.
"I just couldn't do it," Testaverde said. "At this point in my career, I didn't want to go without seeing my family for as long as I thought I would be away from them. And that was really the reason why I did not come to the Cardinals."
The Cardinals could have used Testaverde Sunday as Warner, who was making his first full start of the season was knocked out in the first quarter with an elbow injury. Julius Peppers sacked Warner and jarred the ball loose causing the injury. With Warner out, the Cards had to turn to Tim Rattay. The well traveled backup makes his home in Phoenix and after Testaverde declined Arizona's offer, Rattay was the best available quarterback.
Rattay struggled after being thrust into the game with less than a week of practice and preparation going just 12-of-24 with three interceptions. "Obviously, Tim wasn't comfortable with things, so we had to change our plans," said head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
The Panthers started slow with Testaverede, sticking to short routes and easy reads but it was very apparent that the tested veteran was comfortable with the offensive game plan and head coach John Fox let him dial'em up and throw the ball around in the second half. The Panthers trailed 10-9 midway through the fourth quarter before Testaverede unleashed a terrific deep ball to a wide- open Smith and the Panthers never looked back.
"When I threw the ball, I saw the defender stop and all I could think was, 'I just overthrew Steve for a touchdown,' " Testaverde said. "But he caught it and ran, and I was looking at his feet to make sure he didn't go out of bounds."
At 43 years and 335 days old, Testaverde is the third-oldest quarterback to start a regular season game.
From My Note Pad
• Edgerrin James was one bright spot Sunday for the Cardinals. James had 22 carries for 80 yards and a big, 23-yard touchdown run that was James' longest touchdown since 2004.
• Larry Fitzgerald had a solid afternoon as well -- Fitzy had six receptions for 97 yards.
• Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith added sacks and Dockett now has six for the season.
• The Cardinals were out gained on the ground 181 to 98. Carolina averaged six yards per carry Sunday, ouch!
• Arizona's defense was gashed for the second straight week on the ground as DeAngelo Williams had 121 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and DeShaun Foster added 43 yards on 17 carries.
• Steve Smith was too much for the Cardinal secondary -- Smith had 10 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown that helped seal the victory for the Panthers.
• Deke Cooper had two interceptions to go along with six tackles Sunday for Carolina.
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