NBC Starts Super Bowl Coverage at Noon on Sunday

We don't have the exact time of when things will happen with the NBC telecast, but we know it all gets underway at noon. Here is the breakdown from the network. 

Bob Costas will open NBC Sports’ six hours of Super Bowl XLVI pregame coverage with a live report from Georgia Street in downtown Indianapolis at Noon ET on Sunday, Feb. 5. In the hours leading up to the game, NBC Sports will surround the Super Bowl teams with live team hotel and sideline reports, player features and interviews, and X’s and O’s analysis.

Coverage will also include the events surrounding the Super Bowl, including an interview with halftime performer Madonna, live musical performances, red-carpet interviews with music, television and film stars, reports from the festive atmosphere taking place just outside Lucas Oil Stadium, and more.

NBC News’ Matt Lauer will also interview President Barack Obama during a special pregame edition of TODAY, which will air late Sunday afternoon.

In addition to Costas, NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football team of Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya, and Football Night in America team of Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Peter King and Mike Florio will contribute to the pregame coverage, with taped interviews and live on-site commentary and analysis. 

Liam McHugh, Alex Flanagan and Randy Moss will report from the team hotels, Doug Flutie will appear in field-set segments, and The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore will provide reports on the weather and event atmosphere.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, two Super Bowl MVPs who each played in last year’s game, will join NBC Sports’ coverage as guest analysts.

Ward, who has played in three Super Bowls and won two, was named MVP of Super Bowl XL when he made five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Rodgers, who is an NFL MVP candidate this season, passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s Super Bowl, helping the Packers defeat Ward’s Steelers, 31-25, and earning him the MVP award.

The following is a summary NBC Sports’ Super Bowl XLVI pregame coverage:

THE GAME

Hotel and Arrival Reports: Randy Moss will provide updates from the Patriots team hotel, while Alex Flanagan will report from the Giants hotel. They will also report on the arrivals of their respective teams at the stadium.

Field Set: Doug Flutie (playing quarterback), Cris Collinsworth (wide receiver) and Rodney Harrison (defensive back) will analyze the play of Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, acting out the X’s and O’s on the field of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Interviews: During the two weeks leading up to the game, NBC Sports conducted extensive interviews with Super Bowl XLVI players and coaches:

· Bob Costas interviews Tom Brady

· Dan Patrick interviews Eli Manning

· Tony Dungy sits with Tom Coughlin and visits with Victor Cruz at his former Paterson, N.J. home.

· Rodney Harrison interviews his former coach, Bill Belichick, and goes on the field with Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. 

· Al Michaels visits with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has dedicated this season to his wife Myra, who passed away in 2011.

Hometown Hero: How does a player get to the Super Bowl? NBC Sports will visit the hometowns of five of Sunday’s featured players—Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants, as well as Tom Brady, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker of the Patriots—by speaking with the people who made an early impact on their lives, including former coaches, teachers and neighborhood friends.

Steve Gleason: Peter King tells the story of former New Orleans Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Gleason famously blocked the punt that led to an early touchdown the night the Saints returned to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. King chronicles the challenges facing Gleason and his family while battling the debilitating muscular disease.

Vince Wilfork: Get ready, America. Here come the Wilforks. NBC Sports visits the home of New England defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, and discovers the surprising personalities behind one the fiercest players in the league.

Mathias Kiwanuka: NBC Sports examines the compelling story of Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, who grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Cathedral High School, located roughly 10 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium.

However, Kiwanuka’s true roots extend back to Africa and the compelling story of his grandfather, Benedicto Kiwanuka, the first prime minister of Uganda, and a man assassinated by the regime of notorious dictator Idi Amin while he served as Amin’s chief justice in 1972.

Behind the Quarterbacks: NBC Sports will examine the people behind Sunday’s successful quarterbacks by interviewing Eli Manning’s parents, Archie and Olivia, and Tom Martinez, who has served as Tom Brady’s mentor and personal quarterback coach since high school.

Additional Features and Interviews: In addition to the aforementioned features, more pieces will air on wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz of the Giants, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski and punter Zoltan Mesko of the Patriots.

Helmet Catch: Bob Costas interviews live former Patriots safety and current NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison along with former New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree, two men who are forever linked in NFL history due to Tyree’s famous and improbable “helmet catch” in Super Bowl XLII.

Commissioner Goodell: An excerpt from Bob Costas’ one-on-one interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell from Thursday night’s Costas Tonight: Live from the Super Bowl will air.

NFL Turning Point: The NBC Sports Network program, which normally highlights the “turning point” of a game by utilizing NFL Films’ unsurpassed access and production, will examine the “turning point” of the season for both the Giants and Patriots.

Road to the Super Bowl: Kicking off NBC Sports’ six hours of pregame coverage at Noon ET is NFL Films’ Road to the Super Bowl. How did the New York Giants and New England Patriots advance to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis? Re-live the journey as only NFL Films can present it.  

Road to the Super Bowl begins with Kickoff Weekend and chronicles the 2011 NFL season utilizing NFL Films’ signature captivating video and sound from on the field, and in the locker room from exclusive player and coach wirings.

THE PRESIDENT

Interview: NBC News’ Matt Lauer will interview President Barack Obama from The White House during a special pregame edition of TODAY, airing late Sunday afternoon.

ENTERTAINMENT

Madonna: Bob Costas interviews The Material Girl herself, Madonna, who will perform in Sunday’s Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show. A world class entertainer, singer, songwriter, actress, producer, director and video visionary, Madonna has sold more than 300 million records in the course of her three-decade career as The Material Girl. She is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last tour was the most successful tour by a solo artist in history.

Red Carpet: Nick Cannon hosts NBC’s pregame red-carpet coverage.

Celebrities expected to attend include: Adam Sandler; Danny Devito from Universal Pictures’ upcoming film, The Lorax; Chris Evans from The Avengers; and the stars of NBC’s new primetime programs—Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Carson Daly of The Voice, which makes its second-season premiere immediately after the Super Bowl; Katharine McPhee of Smash, which debuts Monday night; and Jessica Simpson of Fashion Star.

Live Performances: Musical acts Lenny Kravitz and The Fray will perform live from the NFL’s Super Bowl XLVI Tailgate Party.

Top Chef: Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning culinary show, Top Chef, will be on-site in Indianapolis with host Tom Colicchio and two popular former contestants, Richard Blais and Antonia Lofaso, competing to create the perfect tailgate food. Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison will determine which of their tailgate preparations wins.

ATMOSPHERE

Zip Line: In addition to filing weather reports, The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore will provide reports on the fan atmosphere surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium, including a ride on the popular 800-foot zip line located in the Super Bowl Village in downtown Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Legacy: NBC Sports will examine how Indianapolis became a shining example of how the biggest of sporting events can provide the means to unite a community in astonishing ways. After the city was awarded the game in 2008, it used the Super Bowl to plant thousands of trees, fight cancer, redevelop an entire neighborhood and bring hope to those in need.

When the Super Bowl is over, its impact in Indianapolis will remain for a very long time.

Great Moments in Indiana Sports History: NBC Sports examines the role the state of Indiana has had on some of the greatest sports moments. The personalities and events featured include Larry Bird, John Wooden, Bobby Knight, Hank Aaron, the Indy 500 and Hoosiers.