SAN FRANCISCO - Peyton Manning vs. Cam Newton -- man, it could have been something if only they were born around the same time. Go ahead and consider what defined the enduring sports rivalries of the past.
Ali and Frazier. Arnie and Jack. Russell and Chamberlain. Chrissie and Martina. Magic and Bird. The combatants were polar opposites in personality, appearance and approach, and yet a Super Bowl duel between a 27-year-old Manning and a 26-year-old Newton would have represented the beginnings of a rivalry that threatened to top them all.
Manning and Newton play the most visible position (by far) in their country's most visible game (by far), and other than the fact they each have two arms, two legs and a history as the No.