John Elway (Denver)

Watching the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl is like buying a ticket to see James Cameron's Titanic. You know the ending will be grim, but you go for the effect.

For Denver, who have lost their four previous Super Bowls by an average margin of 29 points, most of the effect comes from their quarterback John Elway. Once despised as a smug pretty boy with an all too flashy grin, Elway has managed by mere dint of losing constantly to make his way into the bosom of American affections.

If you don't think that Edam makes splendid hatwear, then there is a good chance you will be roaring for Elway tomorrow.

Elway has always been a Denver player and his constancy has added to his his heroic profile. He came to Denver in controversial circumstances in 1983. He was supposed to be drafted from college by the Los Angeles Raiders. Instead, he was picked by the Colts, whose owner he despised. He refused to play and considered taking up his other option, which was to play pro baseball for the New York Yankees.

Reluctantly, Baltimore traded him to Denver and he has become the symbol of the franchise, missing just 10 games in the last 14 years. Now 37, there has been talk that tomorrow will be his last game. Indeed, earlier this season Sports Illustrated marked his great venerability by devoting an entire special edition to him.

His family want him to continue, however, and with the endorsement deals piling up he might just do that.

He is so popular at this juncture that his opposing quarterback tomorrow announced this week that if he weren't playing he would be rooting for Elway. "That's fine," said Elway, "tell him to stub a toe or something."

Brett Favre (Green Bay)

Attempting tomorrow to become only the fifth quarterback in history to lead his team to back-to-back titles. Favre holds the Green Bay records for most of the things that quarterbacks do; attempting passes, completing passes, gaining yards etc, and that has been enough to make him the number one icon among the cheesehead brigade. No replica jersey is complete without a big yellow number four painted on it.

He arrived in Green Bay in 1992, putting an end a rocky period with the Atlanta Falcons. Arriving late and the worse for wear for training one morning he apologised by announcing that he had got stuck behind a car wreck. "You are a car wreck" he was told.

Before his elevation to the pantheon, however, he had to overcome an addiction to the painkiller Vicodin, a struggle which entailed a 45-day stay in a Kansas Rehab clinic. Three seasons ago many thought his career with Green Bay was finished as the team introduced young quarterback Mark Brunell to the starting line-up.

With the frankness which is his trademark, he recalls thinking when Brunell replaced him, "good, we lose the rest of the games this year, that's fine by me".

Favre came close to leaving the club, but instead turned his career around and has since twice been named as his league's most valuable player