FOXBORO -- We're not trying to imply that Vinny Testaverde is long in the tooth (at least in football years), but consider this: his current teammates, Chad Jackson and Laurence Maroney, were still in diapers the night Testaverde won the Heisman Trophy in 1986.

But Testaverde, 43, brought to the Patriots in a surprise November move, seems to be relishing his role as locker-room elder statesman and the chance to get the one thing that has eluded him over 20 NFL seasons: a Super Bowl ring.

And to hear his coach and teammates tell it, Testaverde isn't here just to stand on the sidelines and watch.

"He still makes some remarkable throws in practice. He really does," coach Bill Belichick said. "He can throw the ball. He still moves pretty well. He moves really well for his age and his experience."

Little more than six weeks ago, Testaverde was basically hanging out at home with his family, shuttling 15-year old Alicia Marie, 10-year-old Vinny Jr. and 5-year-old Madeline to their various commitments. He came to Foxboro for a workout in late September, but at the time not much was thought of it; the Patriots bring in players on a near-weekly basis, especially early in the season.

Belichick has a great deal of experience with and tremendous amount of respect for Testaverde. In 1993, Belichick, then in Cleveland, signed Testaverde and, in a wildly unpopular move, made Testaverde the starter over fan favorite Bernie Kosar. But Testaverde rewarded Belichick's decision the next season, leading the Browns to an 11-5 record and the only playoff appearance in the coach's five rocky seasons in Cleveland.

The two were reunited in 1998, when Belichick was serving as Bill Parcells' assistant head and secondary coach with the Jets, and Testaverde was brought in to his hometown team (he was born in Brooklyn and played high school ball in Floral Park on Long Island) as a free agent.

When Belichick announced Testaverde's signing on Nov. 15, he indicated that it made the team uneasy to have only two quarterbacks (Tom Brady and Matt Cassel) on the roster. But he made it clear -- both to Testaverde and the media -- that Testaverde was strictly an insurance policy.

And Testaverde didn't mind one bit.

"When you enjoy doing something and you feel like you can still do it and contribute . . . for me, that's what I like to do," he said when asked why he returned to the game. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than what I'm doing, other than getting on the field and playing a little bit."

There's been a side effect to having Testaverde around as well, whether it was intentional or not: he's taken on the role of mentor to Cassel and Brady and added another voice in quarterback meetings.

"We talk about a lot of things in our quarterback room and everything's open for suggestion," Testaverde said. "Some of it sticks, some of it doesn't, and you just go from there, whether it's putting in plays or going over reads, talking about how to attack defenses."

"I ask him constantly on how he prepares for a game, how he goes about getting ready before Sundays," Cassel said. "He's sat down with me and gone through how he prepares and it helps me tremendously in my preparation."

Belichick marveled at Testaverde's longevity.

"Ten seasons is a lot in this league; that's a tremendous career," he said. "Twenty (years), I think that's a testament to Vinny, both physically and mentally, because mentally he's dealt with a lot of pressure. Twenty years is a long time to be under fire, primarily as a starting quarterback too, (with) those defensive linemen bearing down on him."

Testaverde has gotten into a couple of games this season. At the end of New England's 35-0 blowout of Green Bay, Belichick asked Testaverde if he wanted to go in for the game-closing kneeldowns. He jumped at the chance.

"I have friends that would give their left arm just to take one snap in an NFL game, so when I go out there I don't take it for granted; I enjoy it. Matter of fact, when Bill asked me in the Green Bay game, I said 'sure.' You go in there and you joke around with the guys in the huddle and it's all fun."

After fulfilling the dream of his late father, Al, who wanted nothing more for his only son than to have him play football, Testaverde's size -- he's 6-foot-5, 235 pounds -- and talent have led to stirring comebacks (the October 2000 Monday Night Football game when he led the Jets back from a 30-7 deficit against Miami was recently voted the best MNF game ever) and big numbers (he's passed for more than 45,000 yards), but for most of his career, he was on bad teams and hasn't enjoyed postseason success.

This year will be just the fifth time Testaverde has been in the playoffs; the first time was eight years into his career, with the Browns.

He doesn't hide the fact that the chance to win it all was a big reason for coming to the Patriots.

"Sure. I think any player that comes into the league, his goal, his dream, is to win a championship," Testaverde said. "This is my 20th year and it's still my goal. I'm just glad I have an opportunity to be part of a team that's in the playoffs and gives me an opportunity to maybe experience that."

smanza@projo.com / (401) 277-7340