After one week of play, we're already seeing a pair of quarterback changes this week. Charlie Batch is healthy again and grabs his starting job back after giving way to Stoney Case last week, while veteran Troy Aikman suffered another concussion, this time against the Eagles, and Randall Cunningham gets the nod Sunday night at Arizona.

	Brett Favre has started 126 consecutive games.

For many reasons, be it injury, inconsistency or ineffectiveness, it's becoming the exception rather than the rule that a quarterback starts every game for his team during the season.

It only happened eight times a year ago -- Peyton Manning (Colts), Drew Bledsoe (Patriots), Elvis Grbac (Chiefs), Rich Gannon (Raiders), Brad Johnson (Redskins), Brett Favre (Packers), Steve Beuerlein (Panthers) and Kurt Warner (Rams).

Not surprisingly, five of those passers were named to the Pro Bowl. There's a lot to be said for continuity.

Still, only did 23 teams started at least two different quarterbacks last season, 8 of those clubs started three different signal-callers in 1999, hence 62 quarterbacks started at least one game last season.

As you can see, the numbers have been rising in recent seasons.

Starting Quarterbacks (1995-99)
Year	Teams	No. of starting QBs
1999	31	62
1998	30	63
1997	30	58
1996	30	54
1995	30	50

And while iron-man Brett Favre continues to add to his record of consecutive starts behind center (126 and counting), it's truly amazing that the next man on the list is not only Indianapolis' Peyton Manning -- with only 33 consecutive starts -- but that the Colts' leader just entered the league in 1998. As a rookie, Manning was the only quarterback in the league that season to take every snap from center. That speaks volumes for the former first overall pick, as well as the instability of the position these days.

Active consecutive starts (QBs)
Quarterback	Games
Brett Favre	126
Peyton Manning	33
Steve Beuerlein	29
Elvis Grbac	18
Rich Gannon	17
Kurt Warner	17
Drew Bledsoe	17
Brad Johnson	17

Given the uncertain status of struggling performers such as Seattle's Jon Kitna and Pittsburgh's Kent Graham, as well as some bumps and bruises suffered in Week 1 by Buffalo's Rob Johnson and San Diego's Ryan Leaf (along with the health status of Favre), it's just a matter of time before we're counting quarterbacks once again.

Russell S. Baxter in an NFL researcher at ESPN