Carolina Panthers Sign Vinny Testeverde

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Vinny Testeverde is still alive! And the Carolina Panthers want him on their football team. The Panthers signed the soon-to-be 44-year-old QB to a one-year deal today as a backup to David Carr (who was a backup to the injured Jake Delhomme). The thing is, David’s also banged up. He missed practice today, so Vinny might start Sunday against Arizona after a five-day crash course in the Carolina playbook. Is that nuts? Vinny thought so:

“I’m just surprised that people are still interested in a 44-year old quarterback that hasn’t played in five or six weeks. It’s like starting as a rookie, that excited, nervous, ready-to-go feeling.”

In his defense, though, Vinny does have some familiarity with Carolina’s offense. The Panthers’ 40-year-old offensive coordinator, Jeff Davidson, is a former New England assistant and Testaverde spent last season with the Patriots.

I think Vinny will do just fine mentally, but physically — let’s just say he’ll automatically be the league’s most immobile quarterback. He was never one to do much scrambling, but at age 44, I don’t see him ever leaving the pocket. If all goes as hoped for Carolina, though, Vinny won’t even leave the sideline. David Carr was feeling somewhat better (although still not ready to play) and if he continues to improve, he’ll step back into the starting role.

Here are a few interesting bits of information about Vinny’s age:

• He won the Heisman Trophy the same year his new Carolina teammate Dwayne Jarrett was born.
• He was the #1 overall pick eight years before the Panthers entered the NFL.
• He’s thrown more passes than have been thrown in Carolina’s history.
• He’s nearly four years older than his aforementioned offensive coordinator.