For those who are convinced it's time for Troy Aikman to permanently turn in his playbook, we give you Arnie Herber and Ace Parker.

"Who?" would be a perfectly acceptable response.

	Hall of Fame QBs' success at age 34
	Player	Accomplishment
	Arnie Herber	Came out of retirement to lead '44 Giants to NFL Eastern title.
	Clarence "Ace" Parker	Led '45 N.Y. Yankees to the All-AFC championship game.
	Norm Van Brocklin	Won league MVP and led Eagles past Lombardi's Packers for NFL title.

Herber and Parker were Hall of Fame quarterbacks who achieved what Aikman intends to do if a team will grant him his wish -- enjoy the taste of success one last time as a starting quarterback at the age of 34.

Like Aikman, Herber and Parker spent their entire careers with one team before continuing them elsewhere. They managed to make their mark with another club at the same age as Aikman before leaving the game and taking their place in Canton. And since they played in the pre-head protector (i.e. helmet) era, they probably had their share of concussions, too.

Herber, a three-time NFL passing leader who starred for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 1930 to 1940, came out of retirement at age 34 to lead the 1944 New York Giants to the NFL Eastern division crown. Herber played one more season with the Giants and posted the best passer rating of his career.

Parker, a 5-foot-11, 168-pound two-way star, won the NFL's Most Valuable Player award while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937 to 1941. After resuming his career with the Boston Yanks in 1945, the 34-year-old Parker led the New York Yankees to an Eastern division title and the All-American Football Conference championship game, which they lost to Cleveland.

OK, you're thinking, "What about someone who played when the forward pass wasn't a gimmick play?" Then consider Norm Van Brocklin.

Playing his first nine seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, Van Brocklin gradually helped build a champion in Philadelphia. In his third and final season with the Eagles (and last of his 12-year career), Van Brocklin -- yes at 34 -- threw for 2,471 yards and 24 touchdowns to win the league MVP and lead Philly into the 1960 NFL championship game against Vince Lombardi's Packers. Van Brocklin keyed the 17-13 win with a 35-yard TD pass to fellow Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald.

Now you're thinking, "What about someone whose highlights aren't in black and white?" Then consider Joe Montana.

Surely, you know Montana's story. After helping the 49ers win four Super Bowls, Montana was booted out of town by Bill Walsh and continued his career in Kansas City. The 2000 Hall of Fame inductee took the Chiefs to the playoffs in each of his two seasons, guiding them to the AFC title game in 1993. The next year, a 38-year-old Montana produced one of the more memorable Monday night comebacks, beating the Broncos with a last-second TD pass to Willie Davis.

Of course, for every Van Brocklin and Montana feel-good success story, there are the sad endings of Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath -- Hall of Famers who didn't know when to call it quits. Time may not be on Aikman's side, but at least a tiny part of history is.

Still, the best bet for Aikman's success -- should he play again -- is an offensive line that'll prevent the next concussion. Too bad it'll take All-Pro tackles Orlando Pace and Tony Boselli to make that possible.

Joe Lago is the NFL editor for ESPN.com.