CBS Sports president Sean McManus said on a conference call Tuesday that the huge ratings for the NFL this season - "an amazing, amazing story in television" - were helped in part by the "Brett Favre factor," which unlike last season extended into the playoffs.

So as a followup I asked whether losing Favre's Vikings would negatively affect ratings for the Super Bowl.
"I don't think so," he said, citing the human interest aspect of the Saints' rise in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
McManus said having Favre "would have been terrific, but I think the New Orleans Saints are equally as good a story and may have more broad appeal for the casual NFL viewer."
McManus declined to comment on the ongoing controversy surrounding a planned Super Bowl ad featuring Tim Tebow, referring questions to CBS' corporate communications department.
That's all for now. Enjoy "Courtside with Seth Davis" at 7 p.m. on CBS College Sports.

Photo:Getty

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