Packers QB Aaron Rodgers' work as a guest analyst for NBC's Super Bowl XLVI pregame show "proved he could talk as good a game as he can play one," according to Bob Wolfley of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. NBC Sports Network Exec Producer Sam Flood said yesterday, "The analysts were a big win. [Steelers WR Hines Ward] and Aaron added a whole other dimension to the show, which was great. They had played in the Super Bowl just one year earlier and to have their perspective was pretty special." Flood added, "I was amazed by how comfortable he was in that environment. He worked really well with Bob Costas and Hines. And then he mixed in with Tony Dungy and Dan Patrick, fabulous stuff came out there as well. ... His ability to pick up that microphone and be a natural right off the bat was great." Flood also said that he "no trouble imagining Rodgers having success in television broadcasting once his playing career is over." Flood: "He has all the skills and the personality, that’s the combination." But Rodgers said that he is "not aiming to enter broadcasting when his playing career ends." He said, "As much fun as it was to be in that setting ... I really would like to use my talents to do other things when I am done playing." Rodgers said of the experience, "I really had a lot of freedom about what I wanted to say. I think NBC people were happy with the way it went." Wolfley notes in rehersal Rodgers "learned he was to appear in 11 segments during the show, but that changed." Rodgers: "On Sunday they added a couple extra (segments) in and changed the format a little bit to give me a little more opportunity" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENINEL, 2/8). In Green Bay, Mike Vandermause noted there have been "rave reviews for Aaron Rodgers’ performance as a football analyst." Rodgers said that after appearing on NBC, he has a "new-found respect for broadcasters." He also said that he has "received some feelers about appearing on Saturday Night Live and talked to some cast members over the weekend." He is "hopeful something can be worked out" (GREENBAYPRESSGAZETTE.com, 2/7).
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: ESPN's "NFL Primetime" special following the Super Bowl from 10:14-11:16pm ET the most-viewed sports program on cable TV last week with 2.66 million viewers, while the net's "Sunday NFL Countdown" from 10:00am-2:00pm on Sunday averaged 1.85 million viewers. NFL Network's "NFL gameDay Final" after rhe Super Bowl from 9:53-11:00pm averaged 723,000 viewers, while its "NFL GameDay Morning" from 9:00am-5:30pm recorded 528,000 viewers. NBC Sports Network's "Costas Tonight: Live from the Super Bowl" from 8:00-10:00pm scored only 139,000 viewers for its Thursday premiere (CABLEFAX DAILY, 2/8).
