Weekend NFL action set the two teams for the Super Bowl, but the two quarterbacks most radio and TV types were talking about early this week were not Drew Brees of the Saints and Peyton Manning of the Colts.Instead, the annual retirement of Brett Favre and the fledgling professional career of Tim Tebow were -- appropriately -- the most prominent stories.
As usual at this time of year, several outlets reported that Favre, 41, was unlikely to return next season. While nobody expects a firm decision from Favre before the NFL Draft or (even more likely) August, his story remains a story.
Favre has entered the homes of football fans on TV for more than two decades, and his effort Sunday, getting up from hit after hit and playing hard again and again was nothing short of typical. That hard-nosed approach has earned Farve abundant attention and respect through the years. Of course, in trying too hard, the game ended as other Favre efforts have -- with an interception.
At the same time, ESPN, the NFL Network and others followed every snap for Tebow, 22, at the Senior Bowl as he tried to define himself as a legitimate prospect at quarterback who could play on Sundays.
Many seem to agree that Tebow ranks as a project at the professional level. With limited experience taking snaps from center and a supposedly clumsy, slow throwing motion, few see him as a high-round draft pick. That does not mean he could not make an impact in the NFL, though, and that certainly does not mean people are not interested in his story.
An added nuance to his story emerged early this week when information about his Super Bowl commercial became public. He will appear, along with his mother, in a pro-life commercial during the big game -- something that already has prompted vocal reaction from pro-choice advocates.
All that, and of course all of Tebow's accomplishments make him a story, too.
While some might complain about Favre and Tebow as "media darlings," they're just the kinds of stories we should get in sports. Perhaps not every day (although it seems that way with Favre) but certainly on occasion.