Super Bowl 50 a clash of QBs past and present

Super Bowl 50 on Sunday could be a passing of the torch between legendary quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and burgeoning superstar Cam Newton, who helms the Carolina Panthers’ offence.
Manning, 39, is on the short list of the greatest quarterbacks ever.  But after his statistically weakest regular season, in which he missed six games with a foot injury, Manning has refused to say if he will attempt to continue his career after the championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, outside San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Newton has become the face of the National Football League after leading Carolina to the Super Bowl with a 15-1 record and two playoff victories.
Built like a superhero at 1.96 metres and 112 kilograms, he displays a level of athleticism rarely seen among quarterbacks, who rely more on wits than brute strength at a position that directs the complex offensive schemes of American pro football.
Five years after being the first player chosen in the 2011 college draft, Newton, 26, has already tied the career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 43, including 10 in the 2015 regular season. He tossed another 35 touchdowns through the air with 3,837 yards passing.
Newton was the engine of a Carolina offence that was the NFL’s most prolific, averaging more than 31 points per game.
Manning himself told reporters a press conference this week that there was “no doubt in my mind” that Newton would be named league’s most-valuable player when the award is announced Saturday.
“He’s been a great passer,” Manning said. “He’s been a great runner.
He’s been a great leader.”
The Super Bowl has become a secular festival in recent decades in the United States, usually drawing the largest US television audience of the year.
Denver was 12-4 during a regular season before squeaking past the Pittsburgh Steelers and defending champion New England Patriots in the playoffs. An unprecedented 11 of their 14 victories were by seven points or less.
With Manning limping literally and figuratively, the Broncos scored a middling 22.2 points per game.
Instead, Denver has gotten by with a suffocating defence that allowed just 3.3 yards per carry on the ground and 283 total yards per game, both best in the league.
Meanwhile, Carolina’s aggressive defence - with a league-leading 24 interceptions - will be looking to put pressure on Manning throughout the game. But the team relies on Newton’s mobility and thrilling play-making skill to pile up points.
Manning, who holds the NFL’s career passing records with 539 touchdowns and 71,940 yards in his 18-year career, has seen injuries pile up. A 2011 surgery to fuse vertebrae in his neck ended his long tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, whom he led to the 2007 championship and another 2010 Super Bowl appearance.
In a remarkable comeback, Manning signed with Denver and won the 2013 league MVP award - the fifth of his career - en route to the upcoming Super Bowl appearance with the Broncos.
Brushing aside questions about retirement, Manning said this week that he has “tried to stay in the moment, tried not to look back.”