Ten days ago, Vinny Testaverde wasn't ready to hang up his cleats.

Contacted then through Carolina's media relations department, Testaverde told FOXSports.com that he hadn't made a decision about his NFL future.

"The three things I always ask myself is, 'Am I having fun? Am I healthy? Am I contributing to the team?'" Testaverde said. "I'll look at those in the off-season and see where that takes me."

Obviously, Testaverde chose not to wait that long and announced his retirement after 21 seasons. What triggered the change of heart? Testaverde passed along word today to FOXSports.com that he wanted "to leave healthy and on his own terms."

By stepping away now, Testaverde did just that while preserving an impressive legacy.

Testaverde finished his career as one of the league's all-time leading passers and set an NFL record by throwing at least one touchdown pass in every season he played. Early in his career, Testaverde faced heavy criticism because he didn't immediately fulfill the expectations that came with being a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 pick in the 1987 draft. But Testaverde didn't let naysayers drag him down and gradually improved. Testaverde's most memorable season actually came 12 years into his NFL career when he led the New York Jets to the 1998 AFC Championship game.

If it weren't for Randy Couture winning and defending the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title, an argument can be made that Testaverde was the most impressive 44-year-old athlete in 2007.

He became the NFL's oldest starting quarterback to ever win a game when guiding Carolina to a 25-10 victory over Arizona in October. Even more remarkable, Testaverde was only signed four days earlier and had extremely limited knowledge of the Panthers playbook. He still completed 20 of 33 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown.

"I've always kept myself in good enough shape that if somebody did call, I'd be ready to go to that team and perform at a high level," said Testaverde, who is known as a stickler for physical conditioning. "It was no different this year."

Testaverde's body finally began to break down as the season unfolded, forcing him to miss four games. But he was healthy enough to take the final snap and celebrate with his family after Sunday's 31-23 victory at Tampa Bay.

Asked to reflect upon his NFL career, Testaverde said, "I was able to go through some tough times and be strong enough mentally to continue my career. Twenty-one years later, I can still take a snap in the NFL and I was still wanted by teams to play for them. I am proud of that."

He should be.

The New England Patriots aren't just good. They're lucky.

In his quest for a perfect regular season, coach Bill Belichick gambled by using his starters throughout a game that meant nothing for New England's post-season standing.

The risk paid off, as the Patriots aren't believed to have suffered any notable injuries in Saturday night's 38-35 victory over the New York Giants. The only scare came when wide receiver Randy Moss was shaken up early after getting popped, but the star wide receiver quickly returned to the field.

Can you imagine the second-guessing Belichick would have faced had Moss gotten more seriously dinged?

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin - whose team was in the same secure position as New England regarding its post-season slotting -- wasn't as lucky. Three starters - linebacker Kavika Mitchell (knee), center Shaun O' Hara (leg) and cornerback Sam Madison (abdomen) - left with ailments that could linger or sideline them heading into Sunday's playoff game at Tampa Bay.

Coughlin, though, shouldn't face heat for failing to take the proper safeguards. Mitchell and O'Hara were injured in the first half when both probably would have been playing anyway even if the Giants were facing lesser opposition. Madison was hurt in the third quarter, but he might have gotten pressed into extra action regardless because injured cornerback Kevin Dockery was inactive.

Plus, no Giants fan should complain about Coughlin's gutsy decision to give New England his team's best shot rather than let the Patriots waltz to a 16-0 record.

About the only thing Belichick didn't get to accomplish Saturday night was a curtain call for Tom Brady. As the final seconds rolled off the clock, Belichick sent backup quarterback Matt Cassel on the field in an apparent substitution effort. But Cassel never got to enter the game because New England didn't have to run another play.

I get the feeling Belichick will have another chance to give Brady his props during the postseason.

Wes Welker's parents should be thrilled. Not only did he set a Patriots record with a 112-catch season, Welker also has shaved the grotesque mustache he was sporting through much of December. Now, the only notable facial hair in New England's locker room are the Billy Nershi-style beards being sported by some offensive linemen.

(For those who don't know, Nershi was a founding member of String Cheese Incident: The world's greatest jam band until -- sniff, sniff -- their breakup this summer.)

Washington coach Joe Gibbs tried living in a vacuum Sunday while competing for a playoff spot. With fellow contender Minnesota playing at the same time, Gibbs asked the stadium scoreboard operators not to display updates from the Vikings-Denver game. Gibbs also had locker room televisions turned off at halftime and told Redskins media relations chief Chris Helein not to tell him the outcome unless Minnesota had lost.

Still, not every member of the Redskins got the hint. Running back Clinton Portis said tight end Chris Cooley was determined to learn what was happening with the Vikings.

"I told him I didn't want to know," Portis said.

I'm convinced the cost of Portis' postgame attire - which consisted of a pinstriped suit, fedora, red scarf, jeweled sunglasses and red alligator-style shoes - was greater than the combined total of the outfits worn by every media member in attendance excluding sportscasters. Of course, I can't verify that since I don't own a suit, fedora or scarf. As a clearance-rack shopper, I do know the overall cost of my flannel shirt-and-jeans outfit ranged around $50 from head to toe. Yes, there's a reason I don't appear on FOX television.

I can't say I'm surprised by Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis telling the Columbus Dispatch about his desire to "blow up" the Bengals after a 7-9 season. Lewis' frustration was evident when I talked to him in mid-October following Cincinnati's 1-4 start. Lewis bemoaned the headaches brought to the team by players with junior college backgrounds, the most notable of which is wide receiver Chad Johnson.

Lewis shouldn't be fooled by his team ending the season on a two-game winning streak. There are some major chemistry issues that need addressing. One of the season's most salient sideline images came in a game against San Francisco earlier this month when Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were shown sulking on the bench while their defense was trying to stop a fourth-quarter 49ers drive.

With the Bengals already having another star wideout in Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati should consider testing the off-season trade market for Johnson. He also might benefit from a fresh start.

During a conference call last week with Dolphins media, Johnson teased an interest in joining Miami this off-season. If another administration were in place, I could see the Dolphins considering a move to land one of the NFL's most potent offensive threats. But I have a hard time seeing new Dolphins boss Bill Parcells welcoming Johnson after all the problems he had in Dallas with Terrell Owens.

Finally, Parcells invited retired NFL executive Ron Wolf to Sunday's Bengals-Dolphins game as his guest. This begs the question: What did Wolf do to Parcells to deserve that?

Alex will be co-hosting this week on Sirius NFL Radio (Channel 124). He will be on from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST Tuesday with Dan Leberfeld.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are his thoughts on the weekend's games.

FOXBORO, Mass. -- There's no "solving" Randy Moss.

That became clear in New England's 34-13 rout of Pittsburgh.

In his previous two games against Philadelphia and Baltimore, Moss was limited to a combined nine catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. Both opponents pressed Moss at the line of scrimmage, which helped eliminate him as a deep threat.

Because of their physical secondary, the Steelers' top-ranked defense was thought to have an excellent chance of duplicating such success. No dice. Moss returned to All-Pro form with seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

Why did the Steelers fail? Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor, who was frequently matched in single coverage against Moss, proved he doesn't fall into the category of "shutdown" cornerbacks. But Taylor didn't have much aid from Steelers safeties.

Moss had reason to worry about two heavy hitters in Philadelphia's Brian Dawkins and Baltimore's Ed Reed. Diminutive Steelers strong safety Tyrone Carter wasn't nearly the same kind of threat while replacing injured star Troy Polamalu. And free safety Anthony Smith's mental errors made his "guarantee" of a Steelers victory laughable.

Moss said he ignored the brouhaha surrounding his recent dip in productivity.

"I've been doing my thing for 10 years," Moss said. "How teams play me, I've seen it my whole career. Sometimes it is frustrating to get bumped, and then once you get to another [defensive] level, still get bumped. My main thing is just to try and stay focused."

Moss, along with quarterback Tom Brady, has three more games to continue his assault on the NFL's record books. He needs four more touchdown catches to break Jerry Rice's single-season record of 22.

Moss could reach that mark in the next two games against the New York Jets and Miami. He torched New York in the season-opener with nine catches for 183 yards and one touchdown. Miami comes to Foxboro on Dec. 23 having fared almost as poorly in October. Moss logged four catches for 122 yards and two scores in New England's 49-28 rout - and that was before the Dolphins added three more safeties to their injured reserve list.

Plus, Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn't expected to show mercy against either franchise even if opening a giant lead. If Smith's relatively innocuous quotes could generate so much venom from Patriots players, what vindictiveness will the "Spygate" scandal and Don Shula's "asterisk" comment evoke from Belichick?

A HAIRY SITUATION: After Sunday's win, the only ugliness coming out of the Patriots locker is Wes Welker's mustache.

Even his parents want Welker to shave it. But the baby-faced Welker said he is committed to the fuzz after a teammate backed off from doing the same.

Before a recent couples dinner with teammates, Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel told Welker he was sporting a mustache. Welker decided to counter Cassel's "surprise" by growing one of his own.

"We start talking at dinner and the next thing you know it's, 'We're keeping 'em! We're keeping the mustaches!" Welker said.

Such unity didn't last long. Cassel shaved shortly after the dinner because of what Welker says was pressure from his wife.

"He has to go home to her every night, so he got, 'Either the mustache goes or 'it' goes,'" Welker said. "He totally wussed out. I'm still rocking it, living up to my end of the bargain.

"Being a teammate and a friend, you would think he would step up. It just shows you what kind of guy he is."

Cassel, though, says there's more to the story than what Welker is letting on.

"Like what happens with any style when someone is the originator, other people want to jump on your bandwagon," Cassel said. "After a lot of people do it, it becomes uncool. When Wes started making it commonly known among the team that maybe wearing a mustache was cool, I had to change it up again.

"The fact is, yes, maybe the wife wanted to kiss me in a different manner. But I definitely would have to say it's more due to the fact I want to be a lone star. I don't like to have company when I sport a mustache. I didn't want to be that guy where people say, 'Oh, Wes Welker has a mustache. Matt Cassel has one, too.'"

Cassel does admit Welker grew a better mustache.

"It's probably bigger than he is," Cassel said.

DOLPHINS IN PRIME TIME?: With a Kansas City vs. New York Jets match-up likely to draw XFL-type television ratings, NBC will definitely use its flex scheduling option to snare another game for its Sunday night regular-season finale.

But finding a better replacement might not be easy. The NFL's playoff picture is quickly clearing up and there may not be an attractive game with post-season implications on the docket. Two of the NFL's most attractive teams also are off-limits, as New England plays Dec. 29 (a Saturday night) and Dallas already has reached its limit of prime-time appearances.

My suggestion: If the Dolphins are still winless by the selection deadline, choose their home finale against Cincinnati. Unlike teams who will rest starters because their playoff slotting is set, NBC would be assured a compelling game. Miami will desperately try to avoid becoming the first 0-16 team in NFL history, while the Bengals will work to assure such an infamous fate.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appears NBC will that route. A source said Sunday that the NFL has heavy influence on which teams are selected for flex scheduling changes. The league probably wouldn't want to place Miami in position of potentially being even more embarrassed by showcasing another type of perfect season, the source said.

By the way, I'm standing by my prediction that Miami will ends its skid this Sunday against Baltimore (I will be staffing this game for FOXSports.com).

After falling just short against New England -- which I predicted in last week's Monday Musings -- the Ravens delivered a lackluster effort in Sunday's 44-20 home loss to Indianapolis. Baltimore has now lost seven consecutive games and it's fair to question whether some players have tuned out coach Brian Billick.

Miami's play was as messy as the snowy conditions during Sunday's 38-17 loss at Buffalo and coach Cam Cameron has morphed into this decade's version of Rich Kotite. But Miami's defense is still good enough to stymie Baltimore's offense and create opportunities for their own anemic unit. Final score: Miami 12, Baltimore 10.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are his thoughts on the weekend's games.

GREENBELT, Md. -- Will New England's hopes for a perfect season soon be blowing in the wind?

We'll find out after tonight's game between the visiting Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

The weather forecast calls for steady winds of 26 miles per hour throughout the game with gusts potentially reaching 50 mph. That could make what would be a mismatch under better conditions a much more competitive contest.

The throw-first Patriots may have to become more conservative with their offensive game plan, which would be fine with Baltimore. The Ravens have the NFL's third-ranked run defense (77.9-yard average) and New England's ground game isn't nearly as dynamic as their passing attack.

Baltimore ranks No. 21 in both rushing and passing offense, but quarterback play is clearly the team's biggest problem. Such a weakness would be diminished if the Ravens can get New England mired in a game where both teams have to play close to the vest.

At this point, weather or sloppy field conditions might be the only thing that can stop the Patriots from going undefeated. Even the NFL's worst team - Miami - had a chance to upset Pittsburgh last Monday night when Heinz Field turned into a soggy mosh pit.

The Patriots greatly improved their own playing surface by installing FieldTurf in November 2006 when it became clear grass wouldn't cut it. But if a blizzard hits Gillette Stadium at the wrong time this January, the Patriots may be wishing they didn't have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.