USA TODAY International Edition
Hiestand: NBC’S Michaels sets tone,
Networks airing Super Bowls don’t have to worry about selling the game once it starts. They just need to not screw it up.
By that standard, NBC scored. Yes, NBC showed Gisele Bundchen before husband Tom Brady took a snap— but otherwise stayed largely focused on game action. But Al Michaels, calling his eighth Super Bowl, was predictably smooth on play- byplay, even as he worked in asides such as saying the New England Patriots medical staff “was fondling some beads” after Brady took a hit to his left shoulder. And after Chad Ochocinco made a catch, Michaels said “his career has been headlines, but now he’s just trying to make agate type.”
Analyst Cris Collinsworth, on his second TV Super Bowl, seemed to loosen up by the second half and became more authoritative— especially when the ex- receiver was analyzing receivers and coverage they faced. ( Although in the first half, in talking about the New York Giants’ Jason PierrePaul, he had at least one off- beat take: “He’s not a normal human being.”) And was prescient in foreseeing that in what turned to be the Giants game- winning drive, any ball- carrier about to score should instead fall down to let the Giants kill more time before New England got the ball. When New York's Ahmad Bradshaw failed to do that, and scored instead, Collinsworth said, “I guarantee you Bradshaw had been told to get down… A big mistake.”
With New England’s Tom Brady getting the ball back in his hands with 57 seconds to play, Michaels recalled Brady telling NBC’S Bob Costas in a pregame interview that he’d rather trail but have the ball at the game’s end rather than having a lead and watch the Giants try to score. But Michaels in that theoretical, Brady had been talking about being down by three points, not four.
Post- game, NBC also replayed a dramatic postgame shot of Robert Kraft remaining virtually motionless in the game's final second. But in having to quickly move on to its much- hyped The Voice show, to give it a Super Bowl lead- in, NBC left before getting interviews with New England's coach or players. Follow the money.
Clip ’ n’ saves:
David Feherty, on his Golf Channel special Saturday, skipped past football to ask Tim Tebow whether he’ll eventually get into politics. Like him or not, you’d better get used to Tebow, who said politics “could be something in my future.” . . . Tony Dungy, who coached Peyton Manning for the Indianapolis Colts, on whether the quarterback might ever wear an NFL helmet with no horseshoe: “I never believed he could play for another team. . . . But for the first time, I feel like he could be playing somewhere else.”
Pregame:
NBC’S pregame largely followed the usual format and was pretty good. Host Bob Costas had a light touch that suggested, “Hey, I have to be here, and you have to have this on at least as video wallpaper, so let’s not sweat it.” Guest analyst and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was understandably diplomatic— he’s an active player— but at least took a shot at the Giants, saying they faked injuries to break the Packers’ rhythm in their playoff win this season.
Inevitably, there was hype for all things NBC. Jessica Simpson, in a “red- carpet” segment, kindly explained that clothes from the new NBC show Fashion Star will be in stores right away. A cooking segment from Top Chef on ( the Nbcowned) Bravo network resolved what food best fits on a Ritz cracker, leading to personalities from ( the NBC- owned) Bravo network saying “don’t be picky because anything premade is fine.” Which led to a Ritz ad with the phrase, “Don’t go toppingless!” One thing needed work: Actors, plugging their stuff on the red carpet, need to be given lines they can memorize so they’re ready for the inevitable question about who’ll win the game.