Aging NFL quarterbacks give us hope

Does anyone (besides me) remember Dieter Brock? Twenty-three years ago, Los Angeles Rams coach John Robinson announced Brock, who had been playing in the Canadian Football League, as the Rams' starting quarterback. What set Brock apart (other than his lack of experience in the NFL) was his age. He was 34, and that was old for a quarterback, especially a rookie. It was also very close to my own age, so I identified with Brock after reading a magazine article about him.

Unfortunately, my hope that Brock would prove that we old guys still had a little life left in us didn't pan out. Brock set some rookie records with the Rams but didn't return the next year, and the Rams left Los Angeles a few years later.

NFL coaches since then have focused on tall, strong college quarterbacks who can be trained and polished to get ready for the big leagues. But something odd has happened recently. Some of the league's best quarterbacks are hanging around and proving that good athletes who are even older than Dieter Brock was 23 years ago can still win. Brett Favre, who retired after all-pro years at Green Bay, is out of retirement and performing like a 25-year-old with the New York Jets. Favre is 39.

Or look at Jeff Garcia, who has played for more NFL teams than I've cheered for, is going strong at Tampa Bay at age 38. Or look at Kurt Warner, who won the Super Bowl MVP award in 2000 with the St. Louis Rams (formerly of Los Angeles). He's 37 and doing well with the Arizona Cardinals this year.

Not so long ago, a quarterback who could survive the beating and grinding of the NFL into his 30s was doing phenomenally well. The NFL is tougher than ever. The defensive linemen and linebackers and bigger and stronger than ever. But the quarterbacks seem to this not-too-fanatical fan to be getting older and older. And for us older fans, that's not a bad thing. Although we're even older than the league's aging quarterbacks, and our fantasies have long ago dissolved, it's still encouraging that guys in their late 30s can survive the pounding of the  NFL. Maybe that means we can still walk, lift weights or even play a little backyard ball with the grandchildren into our 60s.

Right now, I'm pulling for Brett Favre to be a starting quarterback in his 40s.