CBS' Super Bowl XLIV Pregame Show, Segments Earn Mixed Reviews

Pregame Show Included Couric's Sit-Down With President Obama At White House

CBS' pregame show for last night's Super Bowl XLIV was "what we've come to expect from 'The NFL Today:' Safe, smartly produced and occasionally nonsensical," according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. CBS analyst Bill Cowher's interview with jailed former Giants WR Plaxico Burress marked the first time Cowher "had ever conducted a media interview," and he was "more advocate than interviewer in his debut." But the interview was "big news, and the footage was compelling to watch, thanks to producer Charlie Bloom." CBS' James Brown's feature on post-Katrina New Orleans "thoughtfully highlighted the linkage between the Saints and the healing of the community." Also, CBS News' Katie Couric had a "strong, substantive interview" with President Obama. Plenty of people "will no doubt whack CBS for the over-promotion of products, but that's what pays the bills" (SI.com, 2/8). In Indianapolis, Steve Plonski notes the hour-long "Road to the Super Bowl" led off CBS' 6 1/2 hour buildup to the game and the "best part of the retrospective of the 2009 season was the audio culled from more than 400 hours of on-field wiring of coaches and players." The four-hour "The Super Bowl Today" pregame studio show had segments that "may have been weighted in New Orleans' favor." But the New Orleans story is "fresh and resonates with many folks, particularly those once-a-year viewers who can swell ratings" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/8).

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: In DC, Leonard Shapiro noted "not a discouraging word" on any of the critical NFL issues -- such as labor talks, a possible uncapped season in '10 and the long-term effects of concussions -- "found its way into the four-hour CBS pregame show or the four-hour game telecast" last night. CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus said that the network had "already spent considerable time" discussing concussions during the regular season. He added that CBS' "60 Minutes" also had "done a recent segment on the subject." Shapiro noted "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer "provided the only information you'd get about three of the most important issues facing the NFL in the coming months." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on yesterday's "Face the Nation" and "repeated almost word for word everything he'd said at his news conference two days before." Meanwhile, Shapiro wrote Couric's live interview with Obama "seemed totally out of place on one of the few days of the year when Americans aren't bombarded with shrill partisan politics" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/7).

MIXING SPORTS AND POLITICS: Obama said the Colts "probably have to be favored mainly because they've got perhaps the best quarterback in history," but that he did have a "soft spot in my heart for New Orleans, mainly because of what the city has gone through over these last several years and I know just how much that team means to them" ("The Super Bowl Today," CBS, 2/7). On Long Island, Neil Best notes Couric asked Obama "non-Super Bowl questions for 14 of her 15 minutes." Meanwhile, the "most unusual moment came eight hours before kickoff, when ever-gregarious Shannon Sharpe was cast as a panelist on 'Face the Nation'" (NEWSDAY, 2/8).

Writers Give Thumbs Down To CBS For  Numerous Sponsor Plugs During Pregame

THUMBS DOWN: In Miami, Barry Jackson writes the first two-plus hours of "The NFL Today" "dragged, with James Brown's poignant report on New Orleans' recovery from Hurricane Katrina among the few highlights." Jackson: "One problem: too much intrusive, sponsor-driven editorial content -- more so than past Super Bowls." CBS "displayed pizzas on set to promote Pizza Hut" and then had analyst Boomer Esiason "stuff his mouth with crackers to promote Ritz." The network also "aired a worthless Gatorade segment" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/8). In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes CBS' pregame was "bound to have some ugly moments, but the network plumbed new depths with its orgy of shameless sponsor plugs." The studio panel was "more than once" seen "munching on sponsors' products while supposedly providing expert analysis" (TORONTO STAR, 2/8). In San Diego, Jay Posner writes, "Hope CBS made a lot of money for its shameless plugs for Ritz and Pizza Hut. The worst was Ritz, thanks to a tailgate party with Food Network's Guy Fieri" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/8). In Detroit, Steve Schrader writes the "first sign the pregame show was too long, not to mention had too much product placement: The CBS studio guys did a cooking segment with Guy Fieri. The theme ingredient was Ritz Crackers" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/8).

BLURRING OF THE LINES: The pregame show included a clip of CBS’ Sharpe and Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez visiting the Gatorade Performance Lab where their fitness levels were tested. First, they were given Gatorade's new Gatorade Prime drink to be taken before activity, to which Gonzalez said, "It's good." The two went through several tests, with a Gatorade rep telling Sharpe he was still in great shape despite having retired six years ago ("The Super Bowl Today," CBS, 2/7). In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley wrote, "You think you are going to watch CBS studio analyst Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez compare their fitness levels in a pregame feature, but it's just a Gatorade placement. So you can go to commercial without going to commercial" (JSONLINE.com, 2/7).