Kickoff for the Super Bowl comes at 6:25 p.m. Sunday and by then more than 30 hours of pre-game hype and programming across several networks should be complete.Such an abundance (overkill might be the correct term) of choices might scare off some, but there are highlights before the game -- some programs worth watching and some talking heads worth at least having as background noise in your home.
A chronological tour of the best bets includes ...
SATURDAY
3 p.m., "Full Color Football" (CBS)
A heavily praised documentary from NFL Films follows the rise of the American Football League. The hour-long program originally aired on Showtime and NFL Network. It makes its broadcast television debut Saturday afternoon.3 p.m., "Full Color Football" (CBS)
5 p.m., Hall of Fame Announcement (NFL Network)
NFL Network provides live coverage of the announcement of the latest class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Probably the only real news to come from Saturday, and it should be a standout class.9:30 p.m. Super Bowl XLIII (NFL Network)
As a Steelers fan, with little else on TV on a Saturday night, it'll be worth watching last year's Steelers-Cardinals game one more time.SUNDAY
6 a.m., "Mike and Mike in the Morning" (ESPN2)
The weekday radio hosts go live again from South Florida with a four-hour show that will include a live interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic provide the best sports talk show on the airwaves and they're always on their game when on site for the Super Bowl. They were great during the week, and they'll probably continue to do solid work. Worth turning on before or after church.6 a.m., "Mike and Mike in the Morning" (ESPN2)
9 a.m., "NFL Gameday Morning" (NFL Network)
Not as necessary to watch at "Mike and Mike," but the Network's personalities do provide entertainment and insight. Of more note this weekend, though, might be how NFL Network deals with the rape charge filed Thursday against analyst and former Cowbowys WR and ESPN analyst Michael Irvin. He was fired from his ESPN Radio gig in Dallas on Friday.After that, take a break for a couple of hours. While "The Super Bowl Today," the official, four-hour pre-game show from CBS Sports, begins at 2 p.m., expect the show's best features to pop up in the final hour or so before the game. So, there's no need to tune in until then. And, by that point, 90 minutes or so of pre-game programming is more than enough.
4:30 p.m., "The Super Bowl Today" (CBS)
Announced features include: an interview by Steelers coach-turned analyst Bill Cowher with former Steelers and Giants WR Plaxico Burress, who remains in jail after being convicted for a gun-law violation in New York; and interviews by CBS News anchor Katie Couric with Saints QB Drew Brees and President Barack Obama.Certainly, the live interview with President Obama will be one of the final features before the game itself.
Other notes about the pre-game show plans: a feature with Steelers WR Hines Ward, who with his personality and smile must consider any on-air opportunity and audition for when his career ends; a segment with former 49ers coach Bill Walsh; and live reports from analyst Randy Cross with U.S. troops in Iraq. Some of those might come before the last 90 minutes of the show, but missing them would be no major loss.
Finally, after all that, you can focus on the game -- and the commercials.