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One Can’t Help But Wonder…

By Brinson | October 14, 2007

“Testaverde drops back…looks like he wants to go deep…pump fakes once and heaves it to the right side…Fitzgerald’s lost Gamble! Vinny hits him in stride at the 45!!! He’s down to the 35… 25…There’s no way he’s going to be touched!!!..15…10… 5….TOUCHDOWN Cardinals!!!”

“First play for the Panthers from the Carolina 35 after Robinson’s return…Rattay under center…he takes three steps back…looks right, comes back left looking for Jeff King…throws short…and Rolle picks him off!!!!…He tries to take a make a move out of traffic and is knocked down!! Cardinals ball!!!!! What a turn of events here in Phoenix as the two backups who tried out together have just sent their teams merging away in opposite lanes of destiny!!!”

Okay, well obviously that was as much fake as it was pure hyperbole. And we just decided that Gus Johnson should call it. It’s more fun that way. But seriously, everyone does realize–and we’re not sure if they do because of how heavily underreported this story was during the game–that Vinny Testaverde rejected Arizona’s offer to quarterback their team, right?

And we don’t mean rejected in a nasty way like Vinny wouldn’t deal with the Cardinals–as he told the Arizona Republic on Sunday after the game, he had personal reasons:

“It was too far,” Testaverde said about deciding not to sign with the Cardinals. “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’s the only reason I did not come to the Cardinals.”

So, uh, thanks Testaverde family. You won us that game yesterday. And no knock on Rattay, because he was given a pretty less-than-ideal situation to step into (didn’t expect to play, not much warmup, stud rookie offensive lineman out, second stud wide receiver out) but what Vinny did yesterday was borderline spectacular. Sure it was game management at its best, but he’s forty-freaking-four, and he somehow still looked electric. He completed 60 percent of his passes for a shade over 200 yards, and when the Panthers needed something desperately, he found Steve Smith streaking past coverage. Rattay, meanwhile, hit at a 50 percent clip, went for 159 yards and managed three interceptions, two of which we suppose we could not give him full credit for causing.

Look, it was a horribly played game, until it got exciting (if you were a Panthers fan) late in the fourth quarter, but Vinny did what we brought him here to do. He managed the game, took his shots where he needed to and didn’t pull a Rattay do anything stupid.

Will there be some quarterback controversy? Of course. Do we still think Mittens should start after the much needed bye week? You’re damn right. But did the Cats salvage the season by scooping Vinny up after he passed on the AZ job? Sure looks like it. And we don’t want to make too huge a deal out of this, but don’t forget that the Cats are now tied in first with the Bucs in the South following the win, and after Seattle messed the bed against New Orleans last night, the Cardinals are tied as well. Which means they’d be sitting pole position if they’d landed our boy.

But most importantly, just remember, the Panthers don’t win that game with Tim Rattay under center. The Cardinals already proved that.

Photo Courtesy of Philly.com

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Listening to: Grant Green - Work Song