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At this stage of his NFL career, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning already is a larger-than-life figure in football history. Carolina's Cam Newton is a giant-sized QB with an even bigger personality, and he's just getting started.

Newton is expanding the boundaries of what an NFL quarterback can do. Manning long ago changed the game.

Sunday's Super Bowl 50 could hardly offer a more compelling matchup of quarterbacks. The cleverly hidden story line is that practically speaking, this game is more about Newton vs. Denver's elite defense than Manning vs. Newton. Yet mixing in the elements of Manning potentially playing his last game and dealing with the foot injury that sidelined him in the second half of the season, the QB angle rises to the top of any discussion about the game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

To earn another Super Bowl victory after winning nine years ago with Indianapolis, Manning will need considerable help from Denver's defense. But the Broncos can't win without Manning and his offense scoring in the 20s, as they've managed to do against Pittsburgh and New England in the playoffs.

Manning has avoided interceptions and done just enough to keep the offense moving. Even so, trying to throw off a sore foot must be "maddening" to him, as judged by ESPN analyst Steve Young. In a media session, Young estimated Manning "can't do half of what he used to do."

Young was framing Manning's limitations as a compliment, suggesting a winning performance Sunday would take on a "John Wayne" quality. If Manning retires after his 18th season at age 39, having passed for the most yards in NFL history, he will exit dramatically — either way. Whether he sustains a second Super Bowl defeat in three seasons or walks away heroically, this game will define his career to some degree.

CBS analyst Phil Simms wouldn't play along with that theory, saying, "There's nothing he can do that's going to change the way I think of his career, him as a person, or his legacy." John Elway, Denver's executive vice president of football operations, said Manning is "already going to go down as one of the greatest players ever to play the game, so if anything, all this will do is add to that legacy."

Elway can say that, knowing the perception of his own career as enhanced by the ending, the Broncos' second consecutive Super Bowl win in the late 1990s. A similar risk/reward element is in play for Manning, regardless of his impact for 18 seasons.

"He changed NFL football probably as much or more than any player that's ever been in the league, in history," Simms said. "He's changed the quarterback position; he's changed the way coaches coach."

And here comes Newton, whose size, speed and arm strength have created a whole other dynamic. He's evolving as a passer, while using his running ability only as a secondary weapon. But having that element available to him makes Newton "one of a kind," said Denver cornerback Aqib Talib. "You can't find another guy like him on tape."

In his fifth NFL season, Newton is the league's presumptive MVP for the 2015 season. Imagine if he adds a world championship and a Super Bowl MVP award to his Heisman Trophy and national championship with Auburn.

The threat of taking off and running makes opposing defensive coordinators fear Newton, yet even "if he couldn't run," Simms said, "he would be a big-time NFL quarterback."

Simms added, "He can stand there and throw it, no matter what. There's no window too small to throw it into. He is fearless, just like he was in college. [With] people all around him, he doesn't flinch."

Carolina coach Ron Rivera tries to emphasize that Newton, 26, is more than merely a great athlete playing quarterback, saying he prepares well and works at his craft. Yet his physical tools are unmatched, except perhaps by his own personality.

Brian Blechen, a former University of Utah safety, initially was stunned by the sheer size of the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Newton when he joined the Panthers in May. Newton's aura in the team headquarters is "just as big as his physical presence," said Blechen, now a member of Carolina's practice squad, describing the QB as "super fun to be around."

Newton's exuberance on the field is the subject of some debate, in contrast to the more dignified Manning. It is clear than he loves playing football, and he's not interested in conforming to anyone else's view of how a QB is supposed to act.

In any Super Bowl, quarterbacks are playing for the sake of history. That's especially true of the landmark Super Bowl 50.

Newton and Manning will share the stage Sunday. On the platform set up for the postgame awards presentation, though, there will be room for only one of them.

Twitter: @tribkurt —

Super Bowl 50

Denver vs. Carolina

Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

TV • Ch. 2

Inside

Full preview and predictions. > C4-5

Before the game

BYU graduate Steve Young will be involved in the pregame coin toss.

Ties to Utah

Star Lotulelei, from Bingham High School and the University of Utah, is expected to be the only active player with Utah ties. Lotulelei (No. 98) is a starting defensive lineman for Carolina. Sam Brenner is an offensive lineman for Denver (No. 67), but is unlikely to be among the Broncos' 45 active players.