Tennessee football fans longing for the good old days of 1998 aren't totally in withdrawal.

Flipping through scrapbooks or watching commemorative DVDs is fine as far as it goes. But there's more out there if you know where to look.

Or, rather, when to look.

Look on Sundays.

A surprising number of the '98 Vols who hoisted the trophy that January night in Tempe, Ariz., aren't exactly ready for the wax museum.

The Sunday after a homecoming victory over Marshall dawned with 39 ex-Vols on active NFL rosters.

No fewer than 14 of them helped the Vols win the national title and three more were redshirts.

Eight years after the national championship, 17 are still making a living playing football at the highest level.

Given that the average NFL career runs about four years, that's an impressive number.

And don't get the wrong idea. This isn't a bunch of old-timers playing out the string, counting the days until their pension begins.

Eleven of the 14 who played on the championship team were starters on opening day. A 12th, Travis Henry, also got a start for the Titans on Sunday at Miami.

"Every time you flip the TV on, you see some former Vols out there,'' UT head coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday night.

Here are the guys from '98 you see starting this fall:

Jamal Lewis, Ravens; Peerless Price, Bills; Eric Parker, Chargers, Cedrick Wilson, Steelers. That's the skill guys.

The offensive line: Cosey Coleman, Browns; Fred Weary, Texans; Chad Clifton, Packers.

From the defense: Al Wilson, Broncos; Deon Grant, Jaguars; Shaun Ellis, Jets; Darwin Walker, Eagles.

The three non-starters: Henry; Shawn Bryson, Lions; David Martin, Packers.

The three redshirts: John Henderson, Jaguars; Donte Stallworth, Eagles; Rashad Moore, Jets.

Five of the '98 Vols have made the Pro Bowl. Al Wilson has made four of them.

Not all these guys were seniors in '98, but by this point every one of them has surpassed the average NFL career lifespan.

Al Wilson, Price and Bryson are in their eighth NFL seasons, Lewis, Ellis, Coleman, Clifton, Grant and Walker in their seventh.

"It's exciting to see those guys have that kind of success and doing that so many years later,'' Fulmer said.

Don't let anybody from Tallahassee or Topeka tell you the '98 title was a fluke: Ten of the 17 were drafted in the first or second round.

Other than Price, the receivers weren't thought of as highly. Cedrick Wilson and Martin were sixth-round picks.

Parker was the only undrafted free agent in the bunch. He was waived three times before he finally latched on in San Diego and is now in his fifth season.

Among all ex-Vols playing on Sundays, the longevity award goes to the triumvirate of Peyton Manning, Leonard Little and Trey Teague, all still starters in their ninth NFL seasons.

What that means is they were NFL rookies in '98 and missed the national championship season when the Vols surprised everyone by going 13-0 and beating Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.

So, to recap, 11 of the 14 guys off the championship team are starters in 2006, as are two of the redshirts, Henderson and Stallworth.

For perspective, consider that of the 19 active ex-Vols who have since come into the NFL with no connection to the '98 season, only five are starters (and only Jason Witten has been to a Pro Bowl).

And maybe that also says something about why the Vols haven't won an SEC title since their 1997-'98 repeat.

"Sometimes it not's just the Xs and Os,'' said Fulmer. "It's the guys out there getting it done.''

They're still out there on Sundays getting it done.