You’d never know it by the fact that today was the coldest day Phoenix has seen in 25 years, or that some weather channel anchor went berserk over “thunder-snow”, or that the Super Bowl host city might be subject to rolling blackouts to deal with all the power demands due to the cold.

Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow. Spring is coming.

Upon hearing the news, Today anchor Matt Lauer held up a sign on national TV that read “BULL”. He gets an Amen from the congregation on that one.

It turns out an oversized rodent isn’t the only one hoping not to see any shadows this time of year. But unlike Punxsutawney Phil, both of the Super Bowl quarterbacks can’t avoid the giant shadow they’re standing in the middle of.

Since the moment Aaron Rodgers fell in the draft to #24, he’s taken up residence in Brett Favre’s shadow. Favre wanted the Packers to address other needs, not draft his heir apparent. Favre, at one point, said it wasn’t his job to mentor the youngster. When Favre was not allowed to dictate the terms of his glorious return to the Packers, Rodgers was put under the microscope in a way that only tiny bacteria can relate to. Last year, when the Packers failed to beat the Cardinals in the playoffs and Favre got his Vikings this close to the Super Bowl, Green Bay fans wondered if their QB was capable of the magic that Favre frequently conjured.

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