NFL Network’s schedule for “The Longest Pregame Show in History” for Super Bowl XLIV
By Ryan
NFL Network announced today the details of its Super Bowl XLIV pregame coverage, consisting of a whopping eight and a half hours of programming. Just about every major storyline is getting some attention. And then, they’ll trot out the cast of the movie Grown Ups. From NFL Network:
NFL NETWORK AT SUPER BOWL XLIV: WHAT’S ON
“THE LONGEST PREGAME SHOW IN HISTORY”
NFL GAMEDAY MORNING—Sunday, February 7 at 9:00 AM
On Super Bowl Sunday, NFL Network’s pregame show, NFL GameDay Morning will provide a record 8 ½ hours of live coverage starting at 9:00 AM ET with 18 on-air personalities from Sun Life Stadium and other locations in South Florida.
The following are highlights of what will be on the longest Super Bowl pregame show in history on NFL Network, Sunday, February 7:
9:00 AM ET
Introduction from South Beach
NFL Films Steve Sabol feature on Vince Lombardi and his grandson, Saints QB Coach Joe Lombardi
First update of the day on Colts DE Dwight Freeney’s playing status
The NFL is playing a game tonight, and it actually counts for something! The Tennessee Titans take on the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field. It’s the first regular-season game for NBC’s new broadcast team of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, following the retirement of John Madden. Other national TV games of note is the Sunday night matchup at Lambeau Field with Jay Cutler playing in his first regular-season game as a Chicago Bear, taking on the Green Bay Packers. And on Monday night, ESPN has a doubleheader with Terrell Owens making his Buffalo Bills debut against Tom Brady, returning from a season-ending knee injury, and the New England Patriots, followed by LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers taking on the Oakland Raiders, who are probably going to be bad.
Prepared for some collegiate pigskin? There are 28 games over the next five days on all of ESPN/ABC’s TV, radio, web and mobile media properties. Fifteen of the top 25 teams are in action on ESPN networks this weekend, including No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 8 Mississippi.
NFL Network presents 12 preseason games live and in HD, and five of them air this Friday and Saturday Aug. 14-15.
Good news: HBO is returning another season of Hard Knocks in August. Bad news: It’s going to be about the Cincinnati Bengals. Good news: It can double as a season of COPS.
NFL Draft weekend is April 25-26, and there will once again be plenty of hype and more in-depth coverage than ever before as teams select their new saviors. You’ll hear more scouting data about players than you ever cared to know. You’ll hear how every pick is great and fills a need. But really, no one can judge in one weekend in April if any of these draft picks are any good. You can’t measure a draft’s success until the season after — or even a few seasons after — the draft. So take what happens on draft day with a grain of salt. And enjoy the Mel Kiper sighting.