Vinny Testaverde practiced for a second straight day Thursday and remained in line to start for the Carolina Panthers against the San Francisco 49ers. The 44-year-old Testaverde missed last Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints after his back stiffened a day earlier. Testaverde also missed one game and portions of another earlier in the season with a right Achilles' tendon injury. Coach John Fox has said Testaverde will start ahead of David Carr and rookie Matt Moore against the 49ers if he remains healthy. The Panthers (4-7) are averaging only 12.3 points per game since original starter Jake Delhomme was lost to a season-ending right elbow injury in Week 3.

Panthers' QB Vinny Testaverde was inactive for Sunday's game against New Orleans, a day after he awoke with a stiff back. The 44-year-old Testaverde seemed to recover from a right Achilles' tendon injury that forced him to miss one game and leave at halftime of another. Testaverde had practiced for three days last week, and coach John Fox made him the starter on Wednesday. But Testaverde complained of a sore back when he reported to the stadium Saturday. The Panthers planned to have Testaverde test the back in warmups, but he was not seen on the field before the inactives were announced. Without Testaverde, the Panthers were left with David Carr and rookie Matt Moore.

Quarterback Vinny Testaverde was listed as questionable for the Carolina Panthers' game Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after he showed up for practice Saturday with a stiff back. If Testaverde can't play, David Carr would likely start against New Orleans (4-6) four days after Coach John Fox had said the 44-year-old Testaverde gave Carolina (4-6) a better chance to win. Testaverde had appeared to have recovered from a strained right Achilles' tendon that forced him to miss a game and leave another at halftime. Testaverde had started the previous two games and had practiced all week. A team official said Testaverde was not injured at practice on Friday but awoke Saturday with back pain.

Carolina Panthers' wide receiver Steve Smith returned to the practice field Wednesday and is expected to start this week against the New Orleans Saints. Smith missed last week?s game with a shin injury but participated in all of Wednesday?s practice. ?I?m getting better,? Smith said. ?Sore a little bit, nicked up. If I?m able to go, I?ll go. If I?m not able to go, I can?t go.? Clearly, Coach John Fox is counting on Smith this week in a must-win game. ?I think he was close last week,? Fox said. ?But going in with the (limited) numbers of receivers you do and if all of a sudden a guy gets out there and he can?t go during the course of a game, you can?t say, ?Whoops, we want to bring this guy up now.? So I think he did what he thought was best for the team. Thankfully we got him back this week.?

For the past several weeks, Carolina Panthers' Coach John Fox has been careful not to name a front-runner at quarterback between Vinny Testaverde and David Carr. On Wednesday, Fox made it clear: he's going with the 44-year-old. "Right now, if everybody is healthy, Vinny will be the starter," Fox said. The move comes after the Panthers gave Carr a two-year, $6 million deal in the offseason to back up Jake Delhomme. But since Delhomme was lost to a season-ending right elbow injury in Week 3, Carr has been ineffective. He's had a back injury and two concussions, but when Carr has played he's struggled to find receivers and has appeared skittish in the pocket.

Carolina receiver Steve Smith missed the Green Bay game because of a bruised left shin but is likely to play against New Orleans on Sunday. "I think there's a much better chance (of his playing) this week than say, later in the week last week," Panthers' Coach John Fox said. Of the hip problem Smith was listed with early last week, Fox said, "He did have a hurt hip at one point, yes," without elaborating. When Smith was asked if he would be able to play, he said, "Today's Monday, so I don't know. I feel better this Monday than I did last Monday."

Carolina Panthers' receiver Steve Smith missed his second straight practice Thursday with a shin injury. The team provided no further details on the seriousness of the injury. Smith also sat out practice Wednesday. The injury to Carolina's top receiver comes as the Panthers are finally getting healthier at quarterback. Vinny Testaverde and David Carr both practiced for a second straight day. Coach John Fox gave no indication who would start Sunday at Green Bay.

The Carolina Panthers, getting healthier at quarterback, waived Drew Olson on Tuesday. Olson was signed to the practice squad last week, then elevated to the 53-man roster Saturday. Olson, who went undrafted out of UCLA and has never thrown a pass in the NFL, served as the emergency third quarterback in Carolina's loss to Atlanta on Sunday. The Panthers brought in Olson after David Carr sustained his second concussion of the season a week earlier and with Vinny Testaverde trying to recover from a right Achilles' tendon injury. With original starter Jake Delhomme out for the season with an elbow injury, it left undrafted rookie Matt Moore as the only healthy quarterback. Testaverde started against the Falcons, and Coach John Fox said Monday he suffered no setbacks. Fox also said Carr might be cleared to play Sunday at Green Bay.

Joey Harrington took the hit. Alge Crumpler did the rest. Just before he was drilled to the turf, Harrington found Crumpler over the middle for a 30-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left to give the Atlanta Falcons a 20-13 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Crumpler, who returned after missing the previous two games with ankle and knee injuries, caught the short pass over the middle and sliced between safeties Chris Harris and Quinton Teal for the score. Harrington watched from his back after being hit by Thomas Davis then limped off the field as the Falcons (3-6) won their second straight game. The late score ruined the return of 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde, who limped around despite a sore right Achilles' tendon, but couldn't lead the Panthers (4-5) to the end zone. Their lone touchdown came on Ken Lucas' 27-yard fumble return as they lost their third straight and their sixth straight at home.

Concerned over the status of Vinny Testaverde, the Carolina Panthers promoted quarterback Drew Olson to the 53-man roster to possibly serve as the backup in Sunday's game against Atlanta. If Testaverde, who has a sore right Achilles tendon, can't play against the Falcons, undrafted rookie Matt Moore would start. With David Carr (concussion) ruled out of the game and Jake Delhomme (elbow) out for the season, Olson would be the Panthers' only option after Moore. Olson was signed to the practice squad Tuesday and has never played in an NFL game. The former UCLA quarterback spent last season on Baltimore's practice squad. To make room on the roster Saturday, the Panthers waived fullback Billy Latsko.