Of all the stories that unfolded during the preseason and extended into the regular season, none was more intriguing or captivating than the emergence of the young guns. They're now, surprisingly, everywhere.

Five rookie quarterbacks -- Indianapolis' Andrew Luck, Washington's Robert Griffin III, Miami's Ryan Tannehill, Cleveland's Brandon Weeden and Seattle's Russell Wilson -- are scheduled to start on opening day, the most since three started openers in 1968 and 1969.

Combined with last year's draft class, there will be 10 starting quarterbacks on opening day who are rookies or entering their second seasons -- three more than the previous high in 2000, when teams started seven quarterbacks in their first or second seasons.

In other words, nearly a third of all teams are building around inexperienced quarterbacks. What other conclusion can be drawn but that the league has entered into unprecedented times? Especially with these rookie quarterbacks.

This is the most decorated rookie quarterback class the league has seen. It doesn't mean these quarterbacks will turn out to be as productive as the class of 1983, which had John Elway, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge and Ken O'Brien. But it does mean this class is rewriting the rules of how rookie quarterbacks are viewed.

They now are being counted on to contribute from the jump. And of all the rookies, none is better prepared to do it than Luck, the No. 1 overall pick.

During this summer of quarterback talk, the most interesting and thought-provoking statement came from a Colts executive who declared that he believed Luck already is "one of the top five quarterbacks in football."

Think about that. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger. And yet this Colts executive believes Luck is better than at least four of those quarterbacks. And he was not alone.

One NFL coach who watched Luck play this summer said he also would include Luck in a list of the game's top five quarterbacks. Another NFL executive said Luck is the most well-prepared quarterback to enter the NFL. Ever. Three men, three glowing opinions.

It all seems like so much, so soon. Yet rookie quarterbacks seem to be making plenty possible these days.

Told about the statements of those NFL men, that Luck already is among the top five quarterbacks in the game and the most prepared quarterback ever to enter the league, ESPN analyst (and former Colts president) Bill Polian scoffed. "Let's see him win a game or two first," Polian said.

Luck's first game is Sunday against Chicago. Time for Luck, and the rest of this rookie quarterback class, to get to work.

On to this week's 10 Spot:

1. Seeking a breakthrough: See if this sounds familiar, and see if you can guess which quarterback is being described: Quarterback arrives at a franchise in the gutter, bringing hope. Quarterback shines in regular season but struggles in postseason. Quarterback loses each of his first three playoff games, despite playing with one of the game's top wide receiver tandems. Quarterback faces questions entering his fifth season about when or whether he will win games that matter.

Anyone say Matt Ryan? Good guess, but the correct answer is Peyton Manning, who arrived in Indianapolis when the franchise was struggling, performed well in the regular season, lost his first three postseason games, then faced questions about whether he could win a big game.

As ESPN Radio host Mike Greenberg recently pointed out, Ryan's career is starting to resemble Manning's. Ryan certainly will have to accomplish plenty to achieve the milestones Manning has. But at this point, his career is precisely where Manning's was at a similar time. If anything, Ryan has been more impressive.

After four seasons, Ryan has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 14,238 yards with a 95-46 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio and a won-loss record of 43-19. Through four seasons, Manning had completed 61 percent of his passes for 16,418 yards, a 111-81 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio and a 32-32 record.

When Manning was at the same stage of his career, then-Colts coach Tony Dungy pulled aside his quarterback and told him how the public once said Michael Jordan couldn't win the big game. A short time later, during the 2003 season, Manning's Colts beat the Broncos 41-10 in a wild-card game. Once Manning had one postseason win, he strung together many, including a victory over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. His standing was solidified.

Now Ryan is out to silence the skeptics and critics the way Manning once did. Ryan acts like Manning. He knows the game and appreciates its history the way Manning does. Entering his fifth season, with Atlanta opening Sunday at Kansas City, Ryan is looking to break through the way Jordan once did, the way Manning once did. But at a time when he's coming under fire, it's worth pointing out that it's still early for Ryan.

2. A good bet for success: When NFL teams were scouting quarterbacks, they should have done a better job of listening to Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema about former Badger Russell Wilson. The day after Seattle named Wilson its starting quarterback, Bielema said on a conference call that he knew it would happen.

"By NCAA rules, I cannot bet," Bielema said. "But I bet you I've told hundreds of people since draft day, he's going to be the starter in Seattle. Got texts from several ESPN people that I've been conversing with over the course of the last six months and they said, 'You were right.'

"Coach [Barry] Alvarez and I, when we sat down sometime after the draft, we both kind of said, 'We know they paid a lot of money to get [Matt] Flynn, but until you see what Russell Wilson does behind the scenes and what he does on game days ... he's so contagious.' Someone sent me a video clip ... and just to see him kind of engage in that locker room, I walked out of there, I'm like, 'He's got that locker room wrapped around his finger now.' I shot him a text and said, 'Congrats, keep working, take it a day at a time.' And his standard [response]: 'Thanks, Coach. God is amazing. Love you, Coach.' That's who he is. That's what he is every day. That's why he's where he's at."

Yet as much as Wilson has impressed, Seattle appears to have hit pay dirt on other draft picks as well. First-round pick Bruce Irvin showed elite speed this summer and had a handful of quarterback pressures in Seattle's preseason game against Kansas City. Fourth-round pick Robert Turbin has looked bigger, stronger and faster than starting running back Marshawn Lynch, whom he could one day supplant. Seventh-round pick J.R. Sweezy has played well enough to become the starting right guard. And there's Wilson. Seattle's front office, led by...