There is a sense of excitement – and fear – when an NFL team turns to a young quarterback.
The excitement comes from his potential to make plays, the fear from his potential to make mistakes.
The Cowboys and their fans share those two emotions as the Tony Romo Era begins tonight in Carolina.
But is Romo that young? Compared with Drew Bledsoe, he is. But, at 26, Romo walks in as the 13th-youngest starting quarterback in the NFL. That's right – there are 12 starting quarterbacks younger than Romo.
Rex Grossman is four months younger than Romo. He's quarterbacking the 6-0 Chicago Bears. Eli Manning is 25. Peyton's younger brother is quarterbacking the NFC East front-running New York Giants. Philip Rivers, 24, is quarterbacking the 4-2 San Diego Chargers.
Atlanta's Michael Vick is two months younger than Romo. He's already been to three Pro Bowls and an NFC Championship Game. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger is 24 and has already won a Super Bowl.
But is Romo ready? He has been to four training camps and has only 27 career passes.
Was Tom Brady ready when he replaced Bledsoe? He had been to two training camps and had 13 career passes when the New England Patriots gave him his first start in 2001. Brady won a Super Bowl that season and two more since then.
Was Rivers ready? He had been to three training camps and had 30 career passes when the Chargers gave him his first start on opening day 2006. He is sixth in passing efficiency.
The Cowboys are 3-3. So, ready or not, the Romo Era will begin tonight.
| THE YOUNG AND THE AGELESS |
| The ages of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks: |
| Team | Quarterback | Age | Birthdate |
| San Francisco | Alex Smith | 22 | 5-7-84 |
| Tennessee | Vince Young | 23 | 5-18-83 |
| Arizona | Matt Leinart | 23 | 5-11-83 |
| Tampa Bay | Bruce Gradkowski | 23 | 1-27-83 |
| Oakland | Andrew Walter | 24 | 5-11-82 |
| Pittsburgh | Ben Roethlisberger | 24 | 3-2-82 |
| San Diego | Philip Rivers | 24 | 12-8-81 |
| Cleveland | Charlie Frye | 25 | 8-28-81 |
| Buffalo | J.P. Losman | 25 | 3-12-81 |
| N.Y. Giants | Eli Manning | 25 | 1-3-81 |
| Chicago | Rex Grossman | 26 | 8-23-80 |
| Atlanta | Michael Vick | 26 | 6-26-80 |
| Dallas | Tony Romo | 26 | 4-21-80 |
| Jacksonville | Byron Leftwich | 26 | 1-14-80 |
| Cincinnati | Carson Palmer | 26 | 12-27-79 |
| Houston | David Carr | 27 | 7-21-79 |
| New Orleans | Drew Brees | 27 | 1-15-79 |
| New England | Tom Brady | 29 | 8-3-77 |
| St. Louis | Marc Bulger | 29 | 4-5-77 |
| Miami | Daunte Culpepper | 29 | 1-28-77 |
| Philadelphia | Donovan McNabb | 29 | 11-25-76 |
| N.Y. Jets | Chad Pennington | 30 | 6-26-76 |
| Indianapolis | Peyton Manning | 30 | 3-24-76 |
| Seattle | Matt Hasselbeck | 31 | 9-25-75 |
| Carolina | Jake Delhomme | 31 | 1-10-75 |
| Denver | Jake Plummer | 31 | 12-19-74 |
| Baltimore | Steve McNair | 33 | 2-14-73 |
| Detroit | Jon Kitna | 34 | 9-21-72 |
| Washington | Mark Brunell | 36 | 9-17-70 |
| Kansas City | Trent Green | 36 | 7-9-70 |
| Green Bay | Brett Favre | 37 | 10-10-69 |
| Minnesota | Brad Johnson | 38 | 9-13-68 |
