Spotlight will fall on two heirs apparent

WHEN Kansas City and San Francisco meet in Super Bowl LIV there will be three quarterbacks to focus on: Jimmy Garoppolo, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.

The Chiefs’ outrageously skilled Mahomes and the 49ers’ immensely competent Garoppolo, right, will be the central figures at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. But make no mistake, Brady will be omnipresent throughout the championship game.

Today will mark the first Super Bowl in four years and second in six that Brady and the New England Patriots won’t be on the field. However the future Hall of Famer is sure to be part of the conversation.

While Garoppolo was Brady’s understudy in New England, Mahomes, to many, is his obvious heir apparent and the outcome of the game will put one on the path to a leading role when the 42-yearold finally calls time.

Garoppolo already has two Super Bowl rings from his time at the Patriots but didn’t take a snap in either contest.

“Your past is part of you,” said Garoppolo, who was traded from New England to San Francisco in 2017. “The Patriots is where I started, what they did there got to this point here. The two rings mean a lot but a third would mean more.”

Brady has offered his former-understudy the sporting equivalent of the old “break a leg” showbiz cliche, texting Garoppolo to “just go win”.

Garoppolo’s contributions have been minimalised with a 49ers team constructed around ferocious defence and run-first attack. Mahomes, on the other hand, has been a one-man highlight reel, particularly when he led the Chiefs back from a 24-0 deficit to dismiss Houston 51-31 in the divisional playoff.

The 24-year-old does not yet have any Super Bowl rings but does an NFL most valuable player award. If the Chiefs beat the 49ers he will become the youngest player to win both.