Pre-Super Bowl hype is nearly as anticipated as the game itself coming up this Sunday. Networks, websites, podcasts, radio shows, and other media platforms have invaded the San Francisco area to give their takes and talk on the upcoming championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Only one television media outlet, however, has the NFL as part of its name, and that is NFL Network. Throughout this week, and continuing into the weekend, NFL Network has a bevy of shows examining both teams through interviews, angles, and feature stories.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live, which aired at 8:00 p.m. this past Tuesday, got things off to a rip-roaring start. The three-hour program whet viewers’ appetites for the yearly Sunday feast that is the Super Bowl.
Occupying the anchor desk for Super Bowl Opening Night Live was the consistently excellent Colleen Wolfe, joined by Maurice Jones-Drew and Michael Robinson. It was great to see Robinson back at the anchor desk. His engaging personality, big-game experience, and on-target commentary are quite missed on NFL Network programs such as Good Morning Football.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live is essentially Media Day for the Super Bowl, as both teams gather on stage in unison and individually to answer questions, intelligent and otherwise, from the assembled media. Wolfe informed the audience that more than 6,000 press credentials were handed out for this year’s Super Bowl.
Leading off the Q&A cavalcade was Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The litany of questions yelled at the second-year QB ran the gamut. As he responded to questions, a timely graphic noted that Maye is the fourth quarterback since 2020 to win his first three playoff starts. I appreciated how the direction shifted from a single player shot to a wider view of the surrounding media throng.
Viewers were able to see who actually asked the question, as opposed to just a faceless, anonymous voice.
Maye handled himself like a seasoned pro, giving credit to his teammates and family. Maye and Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold are first-time Super Bowl participants, and they quickly learned that the spotlight shines brightest in the biggest game of the year.
Back in the studio, Robinson offered a video look at some of Maye’s strengths. He wisely also credited New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for taking the young quarterback to a new level this past season. Robinson stressed Maye’s ability to check down and find an open receiver, as well as his aptitude for running the football.
The next live interview was with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. As he has done throughout the season following games, Vrabel gave the first question opportunity to longtime Boston Herald and current MassLive writer Karen Guregian, one of the best and most respected reporters in the annals of Boston journalism.
As Vrabel spoke, another informative graphic showed that his 17 wins this season, including playoffs, are the most ever by a head coach in his first season with a team. Super Bowl Opening Night Live effectively shifted scenes from the live player and coach interviews back to studio analysis. The interviews put the ball on the tee, and Wolfe, Jones-Drew, and Robinson drove it straight down the fairway. Other Patriots interview clips featured Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, and Christian Gonzalez.
Vrabel and Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald were interviewed on stage by NFL Network and NFL RedZone legend Scott Hanson. Hanson also fashioned a nice exchange with Maye and Darnold. It was great to see members of the two teams happily on stage together, a kind of calm before the storm, as the next time they meet, it definitely will not be so cordial.
You could see the shy nerves in both Maye and Darnold, neither of whom has ever been under such media attention and scrutiny. Nobody expected the Patriots to win the AFC title and, early in his career, no one expected Sam Darnold to ever start a Super Bowl for any team.
In a solo standup, Wolfe discussed the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, flanked by a graphic with all 32 teams’ nominees for this year. Wolfe has become a foundational talent on NFL Network, right up there with kingpin Rich Eisen in both talent and visibility. Her role at the network has expanded over the years, and deservedly so.
Three hours is a long time to hold an audience’s interest, especially when dozens of other channels are also engaging in Super Bowl hype, but Super Bowl Opening Night Live kept me rapt and involved with its fast pace, studio chat, live interviews, features, and X’s and O’s analysis.
Robinson and Jones-Drew had a fun segment in which they picked the top five players in the upcoming Super Bowl. Among those mentioned were Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, and Leonard Williams, along with Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson and Diggs. Other names up on the board were Kayshon Boutte, TreVeyon Henderson, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed.
The Patriots and Seahawks are somewhat mirror images of each other. There are not a lot of superstar players. Instead, both clubs are built on defense, running the football, smart quarterbacks, and disciplined coaches committed to tough, hard-nosed football.
The word “resiliency” came up when Robinson detailed Darnold’s perseverance as a failed third overall pick of the Jets in 2018 to short stints with Carolina and San Francisco. Darnold has resurrected his career, first in Minnesota and now in Seattle. The Seahawks signal-caller addressed his journey during his live media interview.
In one of the more awkward moments, one media member gave Darnold a button that read “Ham for Sam,” followed by a hat that actually looked like a baked ham. Hopefully for Darnold, it is not a sign that he will be cooked on Sunday.
Back in the studio, the panel talked about Smith-Njigba’s amazing statistical season and how important he is to the Seahawks offense. Smith-Njigba was terrific at the mic, answering questions from reporters of all ages.
As Cooper Kupp took the media stage, another germane graphic showed that his 53 receptions, 691 yards, and seven touchdowns in the playoffs since 2021 are the most among wide receivers. As the Seahawks section of media interviews continued, Macdonald talked about calling plays, along with his offensive vision and strategy. For first-time Super Bowl coaches, both Vrabel and Macdonald were terrific in answering all types of questions. Ernest Jones IV, Julian Love, and Williams were other Seahawks players queried.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live leaned into the strength of its anchor desk trio. Wolfe asked Jones-Drew and Robinson if she had told them a year ago that Darnold and Maye would be starting in the Super Bowl what they would have said, and which was the bigger surprise. It was a great question.
The show ended with quick blurbs of some of the more humorous player questions and answers. This show was tight and to the point. It was free-flowing, smooth, and easy to watch. Super Bowl Opening Night Live delivered depth, reach, and variety in kicking off all the excitement of Super Bowl LX.
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