Parcells Stays With Testaverde at QB

Veteran Vinny Testaverde remains the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, Coach Bill Parcells announced today.

But Parcells said he might get second-year pro Tony Romo into the game.

He's been told to get ready to play,'' Parcells said during his news briefing today. "I'm not saying I'm going to put him in, but we'll see if there is an opportunity to get him in there.''

Parcells had left open the possibility earlier in the week of making a starting-quarterback switch to Romo or rookie Drew Henson. But the Cowboys, even with a record of 5-9, are mathematically alive in the NFC playoff race. Parcells has maintained all season that he never plays for the future and that playing Testaverde, an 18-year veteran, gives him the best chance to win.

"It's hard for me to do something against what I feel like is the best chance for us to win,'' Parcells said during his news conference Monday. "It's just against my nature.''

On Monday, though, Parcells didn't answer the question of whether he still thought that playing Testaverde gives the Cowboys the best chance to win, and that perhaps is why he's readying Romo to possibly play Sunday. Testaverde has thrown 15 interceptions in the last eight games, including two costly ones in last Sunday's 12-7 loss at Philadelphia. The Cowboys have lost two straight games after a hope-generating, two-game winning streak forged on the running exploits of rookie tailback Julius Jones.

Parcells gave Henson one start on Thanksgiving, in part because Testaverde was suffering from some nagging injuries, but yanked the rookie after a first half in which he had an interception returned for a touchdown. Testaverde led the Cowboys to a victory over the Chicago Bears in relief.

Parcells says he can do all the player evaluation for the future that he needs to do on the practice field.

"You only have 16 games,'' he said Monday. "Why wouldn't you try to win them all? . . . If I don't have a pretty good idea right now what I've got, then somebody else should be doing it.''

He also has expressed reservations this season about playing Henson too soon and risking long-term consequences, and the Redskins have a rugged defense that's ranked second in the league.

"If you put your young fighter in with the wrong guy too soon,'' Parcells said Monday, "do you know what happens to your fighter?''

It will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do about the position in the offseason. Testaverde is 41, and hasn't looked like the answer lately. Parcells, assuming he remains with the team beyond this season, won't be interested in entering next season with Henson as his starter if he doesn't feel the youngster is ready to win. The Cowboys have two first-round picks in the draft, but grooming a rookie usually times time. They also have abundant salary cap space to add a veteran, and Parcells seems confident that he can win with the right sort of middle-of-the-road quarterback if he can fix the rest of the team.

"A quarterback with a good cast around him{hellip} that has a little charisma and leadership and does not beat the team that he represents with his decision-making, you can be successful,'' Parcells said earlier in the week.

Saban Offer Seems Imminent

Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga told reporters Tuesday evening, after interviewing interim coach Jim Bates for the club's head-coaching job, that he wasn't quite ready to offer the position to LSU Coach Nick Saban or anyone else. He said the Dolphins still had to have another conversation with Saban.

But that conversation apparently could take place by telephone, and the job could be offered to Saban as soon as today. Some of Saban's associates say it is not a lock that he will take the job but they think he is leaning strongly toward doing so, unless there are snags in his negotiations with the Dolphins. The Dolphins likely will offer him more than $4 million per season and total control over the team's football operations. He could retain Bates as his defensive coordinator, and the list of candidates to serve as his front-office chief could include Tennessee Titans General Manager Floyd Reese.

Huizenga indicated Tuesday that he hopes the coaching search will conclude soon, and he said there have been no candidates interviewed other than the three identified publicly -- Saban, former Oakland Raiders coach Art Shell and Bates.

Huizenga also indicated that Bryan Wiedmeier, the Dolphins' executive vice president and chief operating officer, is among the candidates to succeed club president Eddie Jones, who is retiring.

NFC North Title at Stake

The winner of Friday's game between the Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings clinches the NFC North title. The teams are tied with 8-6 records, but the Packers would hold the tie-breaker advantage if they win by virtue of beating Minnesota twice this season. The Vikings would hold the tie-breaker advantage if they win based on a better record among common opponents. The Packers already have clinched a playoff berth. . . .

New York Jets tailback Curtis Martin has become the oldest running back to rush for 1,500 yards in a season. Martin, 31, is about three months older than Walter Payton was when he accomplished the feat in 1985. . . .

Seven NFL teams have at least 10 victories this season. If all seven reach the 12-win mark, it would give the league its most-ever 12-win teams in a season. The record of six was set last season. . . .

NFL quarterbacks are completing 59.8 percent of their passes this season. The single-season record league-wide is 59.7 percent, set in 2002. . . .

Two teams will be watching their quarterbacks closely when they return to the practice field today. The Cincinnati Bengals expect Carson Palmer to return to the lineup after missing one game because of damage to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and the Seattle Seahawks hope that Matt Hasselbeck can stay in the lineup after being knocked from last weekend's loss to the Jets by an elbow injury.

The St. Louis Rams will have a similarly close eye on quarterback Marc Bulger when they begin practicing Thursday for Monday night's game against the Eagles. Bulger is attempting to return after missing two games because of an ailing right shoulder. . . .

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in disarray this week. Defensive end Simeon Rice publicly criticized Coach Jon Gruden on Monday, saying that the team suffers from a lack of discipline and a lack of attention to detail under Gruden's leadership. Cornerback Ronde Barber said during his weekly radio show Tuesday that "Jon is my leader,'' but also indicated that he generally agreed with Rice's assessment. . . .

The league office instructs coaches at this time of the year that they are expected to field their best, most competitive teams on a weekly basis. But the coaches of those clubs that have already wrapped up division titles undoubtedly are having second thoughts about continuing to use their front-line players extensively in meaningless regular-season games, after seeing the Eagles lose wideout Terrell Owens last Sunday to a severe ankle sprain that will require surgery today and keep him sidelined at least until Super Bowl Sunday.

Eagles Coach Andy Reid didn't make a mistake. The Eagles were yet to wrap up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs when Owens got hurt. But now they have clinched the top seed in the playoffs, and if Reid continues to play his regulars from start to finish in the two remaining games before the postseason, he risks suffering another costly injury. It's a balancing act, for Reid doesn't want his starters to lose their competitive edge, and he must give his offense a chance to get accustomed to playing without Owens. The Eagles will have a first-round playoff bye for less serious injuries to heal.

The Atlanta Falcons' first-year coach, Jim Mora Jr., faces a decision this week about quarterback Michael Vick and tight end Alge Crumpler. Vick has a sprained throwing shoulder, and Crumpler has a sprained knee. The Falcons are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, no matter what happens in the next two weeks, and Mora reportedly is leaning toward withholding Vick and Crumpler from Sunday's game at New Orleans.

The Pittsburgh Steelers can wrap up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with one more win, and Coach Bill Cowher said this week he isn't contemplating withholding any front-line players from Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.

"This is a very important game, and we're going to approach it with that in mind,'' Cowher said during a news conference. "They all have been really important to this point. There's been a lot of football. The way the AFC is right now, there is no margin of error. We've been fortunate. We came through a tough game Saturday [a 33-30 triumph over the New York Giants at Giants Stadium], but we found a way to win it. Certainly, as you can tell, with the implications involved with this game, we need everybody we can get. If guys can go, they're going to go.'' . . .

Rookie quarterback Matt Schaub would make his NFL start if Vick doesn't play against the Saints. The third-round draft choice out of the University of Virginia has thrown only seven passes this season, but he might not be as overwhelmed as one might think if he gets to play Sunday. He looked unusually comfortable during the preseason, when he threw for 655 yards and six touchdowns. . . .

The Patriots suddenly seem to have a desperate need for cornerback Ty Law to return to the lineup after missing seven games because of a broken bone in his foot. They won their first six games without him. But now cornerback Tyrone Poole is on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, and the Dolphins took advantage of veteran wide receiver Troy Brown, who has been pressed into emergency defensive-back duties, during Monday night's dramatic win over the Patriots. Brown was covering Dolphins wideout Derrius Thompson on Thompson's game-winning touchdown catch.

Law apparently is eager to return, and there seemed to be a slight chance during last week's preparations that he would play in a limited role Monday night. He didn't. But the odds appear to be increasing that he'll receive at least a little bit of playing time Sunday against the Jets at Giants Stadium. . . .

When Giants linebacker Barrett Green underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Friday to have cartilage damage repaired, doctors found a partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament. He's undecided at this point about whether to undergo another operation to have the ACL repaired. He could attempt to play next season and hope that the ligament doesn't tear completely. He is to be examined by Birmingham, Ala., orthopedist James Andrews before making a decision. The Giants placed him on the IR list this week. . . .

Kansas City signed punter Nick Murphy and released Steve Cheek, who averaged 32.8 yards per punt in Sunday's win over Denver.

Owens Surgery Called Success

Owens underwent what his doctor called successful surgery this morning at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. Orthopedic surgeon Mark Myerson inserted a two-centimeter plate and two 60-millimeter screws to stabilize Owens's ankle during the one-hour procedure, and Owens already had left for Philadelphia by the time Myerson began a news conference two hours later.

"From a technical perspective, the surgery was very successful,'' said Myerson, the medical director of the Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy. "I'm very pleased with the course of the surgery.''

Myerson said the usual rehabilitation period for a patient after such a procedure is eight to 10 weeks. He said he thinks there is a "reasonable possibility'' that Owens will heal sufficiently to play if the Eagles qualify for the Feb. 6 Super Bowl in seven weeks but added "that is not predictable'' because it depends on how Owens's ankle responds to his rehabilitation.

"Of course, he wants to get back,'' Myerson said. "That goes without saying for him, his fans and the team.''

Owens suffered a torn deltoid ligament and a syndesmotic, or "high,'' ankle sprain serious enough to require surgery. The screws were placed through Owens's tibia and fibula, the two major bones of the lower leg. Myerson said he also had to make a second incision, required in only about 10 percent of such procedures, to lift the torn deltoid ligament out of the ankle joint.

Owens will return to Baltimore in about two weeks for an examination, Myerson said. Owens is to be on crutches and have his foot in a boot for two weeks, and he will be permitted to begin testing his ankle by riding a bike in three to four weeks.

Myerson said there is a risk of Owens suffering a further injury if he attempts to play too soon. There is also the risk, the doctor said, of the plate or screws breaking during athletic activity. But he indicated that a previous high ankle sprain suffered by Owens had no bearing on this injury, and Owens should not be at increased risk for future ankle problems if this injury is allowed to heal properly before he resumes playing.

"There is no reason to suspect this will lead to any chronic ankle problems,'' Myerson said.

The doctor also indicated that he found the controversial wide receiver, who was selected to his fifth NFC Pro Bowl team today, to be a personable patient.

"He has an amazing attitude,'' Myerson said. "He seems to be a very compliant individual, very willing to go through it and accepting of his injury. In our doctor-patient relationship, he came across in a personal way that is very different from his appearance and demeanor on the field.''