Warner, Testaverde Find New Homes

Kurt Warner and Vinny Testaverde believe they can still play in the NFL. So do the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. <br/><br/>The two quarterbacks made fresh starts Thursday, and each has a shot at

Friday, June 4th 2004, 5:46 am

By: News On 6

Kurt Warner and Vinny Testaverde believe they can still play in the NFL. So do the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

The two quarterbacks made fresh starts Thursday, and each has a shot at starting on opening day.

The Giants signed Warner to a two-year contract that will pay him a minimum of $3.5 million this year, hoping he can take some pressure off No. 1 pick Eli Manning.

Testaverde signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Cowboys, reuniting with former coach Bill Parcells.

``I am looking to come in and to play and to re-establish myself,'' Warner said Thursday, hours after his first practice. ``I would love this to be where I finish my career.''

When Manning is ready to go, he will be the Giants' quarterback. But until then, the job seemingly belongs to Warner, the soon-to-be 33-year-old who led the St. Louis Rams to Super Bowl appearances after the 1999 and 2001 seasons. Injuries and the emergence of Marc Bulger earned him a pink slip Tuesday.

The two-time MVP has incentives that can push his salary to $8 million this season. However, the second year of his contract is voidable, and his tenure might be determined by Manning's progress in his rookie season.

``I don't want to keep moving and picking up my family,'' Warner added. ``I want to continue to have success. I would love it to be here in New York and I will do whatever in my time here to be successful. We'll just see what happens.''

Though it was clear the Rams no longer wanted him, they were thankful for the contributions he made there.

``It was not only a time of great winning, it was the style with which it was done,'' said Jay Zygmunt, the team's president of football operations. ``And Kurt embodied everything that is great about America.

``He was a role model's role model. The story was out of a Hollywood script and the accomplishments, they're second to none.''

The 40-year-old Testaverde was released by the New York Jets after a six-year run but quickly found work with the Cowboys. He will compete with Quincy Carter for the starting job.

His first two seasons with the Jets were with Parcells. In the last two, he was Chad Pennington's backup, although he started seven games last season when Pennington was out with a hand injury.

``The fire still burns within for me to be out on the field still playing. All I want is an opportunity,'' Testaverde said. ``The opportunity to compete to be a starter excites me. I didn't have that opportunity in New York.''

Parcells has said Carter, the starter for most of the past three seasons and all 16 games last year, will go into training camp as the No. 1 quarterback. But the coach has always said that the best player will start.

Parcells didn't take part in Thursday's announcement, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that would be the approach.

``We basically have an incumbent in Quincy, but we want to be better than we've been at quarterback, and competition creates that,'' Jones said. ``Vinny came here to play. He came here to compete as a starter and he knows Bill well. He's knows that he's going to be given that kind of opportunity.''

Besides pushing Carter, the Cowboys want him to mentor Drew Henson, who quit professional baseball and returned to football this spring.

In other NFL news Thursday:

_John Fox signed a three-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers after leading the team to the Super Bowl in his second year as head coach.

_Miami Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau apologized for using a derogatory term for gays while describing his relationship with his teammates.

_Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe officially announced his retirement after 14 seasons.

_Quarterback Kordell Stewart signed a one-year deal for the $760,000 veteran minimum with the Baltimore Ravens.

_The San Diego Chargers signed punter Bill LaFleur to a one-year deal.