Tampa Bay Coach Ray Perkins named Steve...

Tampa Bay Coach Ray Perkins named Steve DeBerg as his starting quarterback for the season opener Sunday against Atlanta, saying the 11th-year pro earned the job over highly touted rookie Vinny Testaverde with solid exhibition play.

“It’s a matter of which one is best prepared to give us a chance to win,” Perkins said. “Right now, it’s Steve DeBerg.”

DeBerg enjoyed one of the best exhibition seasons of his career, while Testaverde--the 1986 Heisman Trophy winner and first pick in this year’s NFL draft--struggled after compiling impressive statistics in the Buccaneers’ first exhibition game.