No annual sporting event gets as much attention and hype as the Super Bowl, which is why the network airing said game doesn’t hold back with its pregame coverage each year. NBC will be no different this Sunday, with six hours of content leading up to kickoff, starting at noon ET.
The bread and butter:
- Bob Costas will of course be the primary host, with contributions from Dan Patrick, Josh Elliott, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Mike Florio, Peter King, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Carolyn Manno (Patriots) and Randy Moss (Seahawks… not that Randy Moss) will report from team hotels, with Liam McHugh and Doug Flutie on the field at University of Phoenix Stadium for X’s and O’s demonstrations
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will serve as a guest analyst
- Savannah Guthrie of NBC News will interview president Barack Obama from the White House late in the afternoon
- Elliott will interview halftime show performer Katy Perry
- Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski will report from a live tailgate party where they’ll interview celebrities such as Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pratt and Adriana Lima
Some highlights:
Sitdowns sans Belichick
Over the course of the afternoon, NBC will also air pre-taped interviews featuring Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Pete Carroll, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork and Darrelle Revis. No sign of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Hometown visits
NBC also visited the hometowns of Brady, Jamie Collins and Patrick Chung of the Patriots, and Wilson, Earl Thomas and Jon Ryan of the Seahawks. Ryan, who hails from Regina, Saskatchewan, is one of three international players in the game.
Harbaugh adds perspective
Harbaugh’s presence should be intriguing because he’s an active head coach who could have a future in media. Plus, he has plenty of experience coaching against the Patriots. In fact, reports have tied his team closely to deflategate, but I’m guessing NBC will avoid that in segments with the Ravens coach. According to the network, Harbaugh “will illustrate how he would attempt to stop New England as coach of the Seahawks, while Dungy will assume the role of Patriots head coach and discuss how to limit the Seattle offense.”
The annual tearjerker segment
Elliott will also have a feature on the legacy of Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan after leaving the Cardinals to go to war more than a decade ago.
Reaching a more widespread audience
Weir and Lipinski are spending time this week with some of the players’ wives for a segment on how “spouses of Super Bowl players prepare for Super Bowl XLIX.”
You’ll also get to see what feels like an annual segment on the three men who have attended every Super Bowl (this time from Jimmy Roberts) as well as a NASCAR promo/segment featuring Ward and Flutie behind the wheel with Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth.
So, um, enjoy? But we’d recommend a break or two. Maybe take the dog for a walk or stretch from time to time. It’ll be a long day and night.
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