2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) Prop Bet: The Brett Favre Mentions

Leading up to the 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, we'll be taking a look at Super Bowl proposition betting, or more specifically, the fun or funny Super Bowl 45 (XLV) prop bets that you hear so much about. That includes props on the Super Bowl coin toss, Super Bowl halftime show, Super Bowl National Anthem, Super Bowl postgame Gatorade Shower dump and much more. Follow along on the Super Bowl sidebar to the right!

Sure, Aaron Rodgers has led the Packers to a Super Bowl. Sure, he's won as many playoff games this season as his predecessor Brett Favre won in his last 10 years with the Packers. But to many--be it in the media or at the water cooler--Rodgers is still in the shadow of the man who has quarterbacked the division rival Minnesota Vikings for the past two seasons. And that brings us to our next 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) prop bet.

While Aaron Rodgers and surely many Packer fans have probably had just about enough of the constant mentions of Brett Favre on various broadcasts and in print, we're more than happy to watch members of the media babble on about Favre when talking about Rodgers--because we know two media members who won't be doing that.

Check out the Super Bowl prop that has been created as a result of the Favre/Rodgers saga:

How Many Times will FOX mention “Brett Favre” on TV during the Game?
Wager is on the number of times“Brett Favre”will be mentioned on TV during the Game (from kick off until final whistle). Live commentary only, Any Taped or Past Video does not count towards wager, must say“Brett Favre”exactly.
Over 2.5 (-140)

UNDER 2.5 (EVEN)

To many in the public who have been hearing Favre/Rodgers comparisons ad nauseam for the past three seasons (and especially for the casual football fans attracted to fun Super Bowl proposition betting), this looks like a steal. How could the FOX broadcast not mention Brett Favre at least three times during the Super Bowl?

Well, we can assure you, they won't. The broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have literally called the last five Packer games, and they've had plenty opportunity to talk about Favre over that time. And while they've mentioned No. 4 every so often, they aren't the ones in the media beating us to death on this topic.

During today's 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) Media Day, and throughout the rest of the week, you'll hear all about Favre as you have up to this point. But come game day, you can count on Buck and Aikman focusing on the players on the field and recognizing that this is Aaron Rodger's show in a game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

And, of course, the loophole that requires the announcers to use the entire name "Brett Favre" doesn't hurt. Everybody knows who the Packers previous quarterback was, which allows for vague mentions about "replacing a legend" or living up to "that other guy."

So while the pre-game Super Bowl hype, including the pre-game shows leading right up to the game on Sunday, and post-game might throw around F(avre)-bombs like nothing, we're predicting that that won't be the case during the actual game, as the prop specifies (kickoff to the final whistle). We predict one full Brett Favre mention--if that--but certainly no more, and certainly not three (more than 2 1/2).

Favre Named Madden '94 Cover Athlete

Madden '94, a John Madden's football video game for Super Nintendo that allows users to play a full 16-game NFL schedule with all 28 teams, has announced its cover athlete.

Rather than choose a proven star like Super Bowl winning quarterback Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys, Madden decided to name little-known Packers quarterback Brett Favre (pronounced fay-ver) as its cover boy.

Favre has played just one season with the Packers, throwing 18 touchdown passes and leading the team to a 9-7 record in 1992 after starter Don Majkowski went down with an injury. Prior to that, he played briefly with the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to Green Bay.

Critics say that Favre's career won't last long due to his poor throwing mechanics and a drinking habit that caused him to miss the team picture his rookie year in Atlanta. Perhaps the Madden game would have been better off with a more promising quarterback on its cover, like the young Tommy Maddox of the Denver Broncos.

Time will tell if the video game made the right choice. In the meantime, we only hope this cover won't jinx the young Favre in any way.

Even More Super Bowl Prop Bets

We've already picked out a few Super Bowl props that we like, but for those of you who don't fancy betting on hypothetical handshakes and national anthem times, we've gone ahead and found a few more props that you might be interested in betting on.

Just like the props we've already bet on, few of these have anything to do with the Patriots and Giants actually playing football. What would be the fun in that? We have nothing riding on any of these (yet), but here are a few of the other options out there:

• Which QB will Troy Aikman mention first after opening kickoff, Eli Manning or Tom Brady?
• How many times will Joe Buck mention Peyton Manning's name during the broadcast? Over/Under 5 1/2 times
• If the Patriots win, will Bob Kraft mention the 72 Dolphins during the Trophy Presentation, yes or no?
• How many times will Archie Manning be shown on the TV Broadcast? Over/Under 4 1/2 times
• Will the entire Fox pre-game team pick the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, yes or no?

These props and more can all be found on Bodog. If for some reason you want to bet on the actual game, they have a few props for that as well.