The heat of the early Texas day was already pouring out of the asphalt and up into the blue sky over the Dallas Cowboys' training complex in Irving. Troy Aikman, sitting in his adjacent office complex, watched as a group of players made their way through a maze of orange cones.

This was several months ago, long before the NFL season opened, only a few days before longtime rival Steve Young decided to retire.

	Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper rushed for three TDs in a Week 1 win over the Bears.

"A tough, tough decision," Aikman said. "It's something that crosses your mind from time to time. We're all going to have to deal with it."

Sooner, in some cases, rather than later.

When Young and Dan Marino decided to leave the NFL after the 1999 season, they left things to a handful of veteran 30-something quarterbacks: Aikman, Brett Favre, Vinny Testaverde, Chris Chandler, Rich Gannon, Steve Beuerlein. Aikman and Favre are the class of that small fraternity. They appeared in seven NFC Championship games in the 1990s and won four Super Bowls. But, despite their relatively tender ages, they have become increasingly fragile.

Aikman, 33, left Sunday's game against Philadelphia with the seventh official concussion of his professional career. It was a game the Cowboys lost badly, 41-14, at home. Favre, 30, had a chance to beat the New York Jets but safety Victor Green intercepted his late heave and the Packers went down 20-16 at Lambeau Field.

Their respective teams were both 8-8 a year ago and have new head coaches to show for themselves, but a .500 season would be a windfall for this year's Cowboys and Packers. Both quarterbacks still want to win desperately, but can they stay healthy long enough to have an impact on the teams that have decayed around them?

Consider Aikman, who has suffered at least nine concussions going back to college. He attempted five passes in his brief appearance against the blitzing Eagles and failed to complete one. He was sacked four times, pressured six times and knocked down six times. This was his second concussion in the past 11 games and history shows that recovery becomes more difficult with each successive blow. Aikman could easily miss Sunday night's game at Arizona.

Favre sat out much of training camp with tendinitis in his forearm and elbow and went into the opener against the Jets thinking touch, not torque. But when things got thick in the fourth quarter, Favre couldn't resist the urge to rip a few balls downfield and, almost immediately, he was holding his right elbow and wincing in pain.

Favre probably will continue to play, but clearly he will not be fully effective. That could be true all season long.

	“	Two years ago, old quarterbacks were all the rage ... Now, we have 10 starters in the NFL with only two seasons of professional experience. The Class of '99, based on the early returns, is for real. ”

Two years ago, old quarterbacks were all the rage; everyone was celebrating the wisdom of their collective experience. Now, we have 10 starters in the NFL with only two seasons of professional experience. The Class of '99, based on the early returns, is for real.

Sure, Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb handed off to Duce Staley 26 times and watched him careen for 201 yards, but he completed 16 of 28 passes and ran for a touchdown. More importantly, the Eagles won.

So did the Minnesota Vikings, with Daunte Culpepper, who ran for three touchdowns in his first NFL start. So did Tampa Bay's Shaun King, who completed 12 of 24 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions.

Even the two losers, Cleveland's Tim Couch and Chicago's Cade McNown, performed admirably well. Couch completed 19 of 27 passes for 160 yards in a 27-7 loss to Jacksonville, while McNown was a giddy 27-of-41 for 290 yards and two touchdown passes, plus another rushing score.

Cincinnati's Akili Smith, due to an awkward first-week bye, did not play. But on Sunday he meets Couch in an all-Ohio Class of '99 reunion. King and McNown will have their own party in Tampa.

Of the six quarterbacks taken in last year's draft, Couch was the only one to start more than six games. He completed nearly 56 percent of his passes and threw more touchdowns (15) than interceptions (13), all for a Cleveland team that won merely two games. Because he was the first pick of the draft, there has been a widespread assumption that he is the best.

Already, that feeling is open to suggestion. The other five passers were all brought along slowly, which is something of a miracle in the win-now NFL. McNabb and McNown each started six games a year ago. King got five starts, while Smith started four games.

People around the NFL say the progress of Tennessee's Steve McNair, who started a total of six games in his first two seasons, has prompted teams to go easy on their annointed saviours, at least at the start. So far, it looks like a good decision. In the second season of their professional careers, they are playing with confidence and poise.

Looking for a handy the-torch-is-being-passed metaphor?

On the first play of the fourth quarter in Dallas, with Aikman already resting uncomfortably at Baylor Hospital, McNabb scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. He emphatically slammed the ball over the goal post's crossbar.

Consider it done: torch passed.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.