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North: Super Bowl is almost here

With the Super Bowl kickoff closely upon us, the game will finally get our attention. The once-mighty PR machine called the NFL hasn't had much to hype, so many went down the path of Cam Newton's storyline that supposedly America has never seen a QB like him before.

The talk started because of Newton's comments on Wednesday to reporters when he said, “I'm an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven't seen nothing they can compare me to.”

It is true he will be only the sixth African-American quarterback to start the Super Bowl, but I brought up the example of Steve McNair, also an African-American starting Super Bowl QB, to football analyst Charles Davis on my Fox Sports radio show, and he agreed the two quarterbacks were similar.

The late McNair was as tough as Newton, and at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, almost as big as the 6-foot-5 and 250-pound Newton.

Interestingly enough, Newton idolized McNair growing up and even attended one of McNair's football camps.

McNair was a dual threat like Newton is now, yet some people seem to have forgotten the Tennessee Titan's “Air McNair.”

The other big storyline is the possibility of Peyton Manning going to the Los Angeles Rams. He has a year left on his deal, and if the Broncos win on Sunday, will he get the itch to continue to play, or call it quits as he rides into the sunset?

His brother Eli and others have said this is it, but Peyton hasn't admitted anything yet. He whispered to New England coach Bill Belichick this was his last rodeo, but later clarified that he meant it might be the last time he played against Tom Brady.

Why the suspense? Maybe he really doesn't know yet, but if it is Manning's last game, it would have been fun to have that storyline to discuss.

With one game left to play, if I had to bet on it, I think he's done either way. Yet there are plenty of superstars who have believed they could go another round. Some could and some couldn't. Look at guys such as Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays and Johnny Unitas, who stayed too long.

If Denver wins, Manning's Super Bowl record of 2-2 puts him in the top five quarterbacks of all-time.

If he loses, I don't care that he has been to four Super Bowls — his legacy is tainted because of only one victory. That's the way I see it.

Nothing is bigger than the Super Bowl game, but the NBA stole the NFL's thunder over the last few weeks. Golden State, Stephen Curry, David Blatt, LeBron James, the Oklahoma Thunder, Kobe Bryant and even the Bulls have dominated the news.

The wait is almost over, though, and the saving grace for football is the game itself.

Final score: Carolina 30, Denver 17. Enjoy!

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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