OXNARD, Calif. – As the Dallas Cowboys opened training camp here yesterday, it felt a bit like a reunion of the 1998 Jets. Bill Parcells opened his second camp as Cowboys coach with some familiar faces near his side.
Off-season acquisitions Vinny Testaverde and Keyshawn Johnson were back in the middle of a Parcells practice and afterward each said they enjoyed being back with the “Tuna.”
“He hasn’t changed a bit,” Testaverde said. “He still coaches the same way. He still needles the guys to get them going when he has to. I just love being around him because he’s a great coach and he gets the most out of each player.”
Said Johnson: “Everything’s the same – the way he approaches the game, the way he game plans and prepares in our meetings and stuff like that is all the same. Nothing’s changed in that perspective. It’s a good thing for me. I’m relaxed. I’m around people that care about who I am as a player on and off the field. It gives you a sense of relief.”
Testaverde and Johnson are two of the key players Parcells acquired in the off-season to bolster a team that went 10-6 in 2003. Similar to when he joined the Jets in 1998 and ended up unseating Glenn Foley as the starting quarterback, the 40-year-old Testaverde is expected to compete with Quincy Carter for the starting job.
“That’s my goal,” Testaverde said. “I know I have to compete for my job. Hopefully with competing, both Quincy and I will get better and we’ll help the team get better.”
Parcells said he’s simply looking to “see what there is left” in Testaverde. He knows all about Testaverde’s work ethic but wants to see what the 18-year veteran has left in the tank. When the two got to California last week to prepare for camp, Parcells gave the quarterback a new nickname.
“I was kidding him,” Parcells said Friday. “I said, ‘You know I’m going to call you ‘Tyson’ this summer because you’re just like Tyson – you’re both out of excuses now.’ ”
At yesterday’s first practice, Testaverde split time with Carter and Tony Romo. Former Yankees farmhand Drew Henson also practiced but saw less time than the other three quarterbacks. Throwing mostly short passes, Testaverde began trying to prove to Parcells he can still start.
Johnson hopes to see glimpses of the quarterback who connected with him often in 1998, one of his most productive seasons as a pro, when he caught 83 passes for 1,131 yards and 10 touchdowns on the Jets’ march to the AFC Championship game.
“Our relationship is pretty good,” Johnson said. “I played one good season with him and was on the team with him for two years. He’s a veteran (I know) what he’s been through and what he can contribute to this football team. I think a guy like that who has played as long as he has you have to listen to what he’s saying.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Johnson to the Cowboys in March for Joey Galloway. The move ended a tumultuous run in Tampa for the big receiver. He left the team in November and was declared inactive for the team’s final six games.
While Johnson and Testaverde are the headliners, the Cowboys also have ex-Jets Dedric Ward and Richie Anderson. Assistant coaches Maurice Carthon and Todd Haley also were part of the Jets when Parcells was there.
Testaverde and Johnson now take their place along other “Parcells guys” like Dave Meggett and Curtis Martin, who played for the coach on two different teams. Seeing some of his former Jets teammates gave Testaverde an added comfort level.
“The thing about having the guys here that were with me with the Jets is that you see some familiar faces,” Testaverde said. “You know the ability these guys have, you know what they can do. So, you feel more comfortable because you know these guys already.”
Parcells is quick to point out that just because he has a familiarity with players does not mean there are any promises.
“I’ve told the veterans,” he said, “that no matter who you are at some point in time during this camp you’ve got to show me you can still do it.”
