CBS Super Bowl Today Features

http://sportsmediajournal.com/page/2/ CBS Sports has announced its slate of features produced as part of it’s Super Bowl Today pre-game show prior to Super Bowl XLVII. Here is the slate of features, from CBS Sports PR: James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher, along with Greg Gumbel, welcome viewers with some pre-game analysis and highlights from CBS Super Bowl Park at Jackson Square, Champions Square and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, while Lesley Visser and Tracy Wolfson, as well as Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots report throughout the day. Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews also joins the pregame show. ¨ THE HARBAUGH BROTHERS Producer: Deb Gelman It’s the overriding storyline of Super Bowl XLVII – the first time that a coaching rivalry is also a sibling rivalry. How did the Harbaugh brothers, Jim and John, get to this grand stage? They attribute it to their father Jack, who was the greatest influence on their lives and coaching careers. THE SUPER BOWL TODAY’s James Brown talks to both coaches about the influence of their father, growing up together and what it means to face your brother in the Super Bowl. ¨ O.J. BRIGANCE Producer: Deb Gelman The Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV to win their first Lombardi Trophy. O.J. Brigance was the Special Teams Captain for the Ravens and was credited with the first tackle of the game. In 2007, he was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and given a prognosis of less than five years to live. O.J. currently serves as Senior Advisor to Player Development for the team he once played for. Undaunted, O.J. is an emotional inspiration to this current Ravens’ team and was selected honorary team captain for the AFC Championship Game. In a very poignant moment he presented the Ravens with the Lamar Hunt Trophy following their victory over New England. O.J. has lost the ability to walk and talk, but he is able to still communicate via computer. He will tell his story of determination and courage in his own words. ¨ CHUCK PAGANO Producer: Charlie Bloom Whether you followed football or not, the phrase “ChuckStrong” captured the nation. Indianapolis Head Coach Chuck Pagano was hospitalized with leukemia just weeks into the season. As Pagano underwent chemotherapy, the city and the nation embraced his battle against the disease. Along the way, he inspired other patients in their fight against cancer. The real-life drama took on a storybook feel when the Colts magical run into the playoffs with Pagano’s remission, allowed him to return to the sidelines by season’s end. This powerful journey is told for the first time by his family, wife Tina and daughters Tara, Taylor and Tori. ¨ GATEWAY Producer: Pete Radovich On July 20, 2012, a deranged gunman entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colo, and opened fire. By the time he was finished, 12 people were dead, and 58 others were injured. Among those wounded, rising senior Zack Golditch of nearby Gateway High School. Shot through the neck, the 6-foot-5, 260 pound, 17-year-old became a symbol of strength and recovery as he fought his way back onto the football field. ¨ PLAYER SAFETY AND THE FUTURE OF THE GAME Producer: Charlie Bloom The topic of player safety and concussions has re-emerged in the news again with Junior Seau’s family announcing a lawsuit over the concussions he sustained during his football career. President Obama said this week,“I’m a big football fan, but I have to tell you, if I had a son, I’d have to think long and hard before I let him play football.” Millions of youth football players and their parents will be watching Super Sunday. Some are debating their children’s future participation as they wonder what is being done to make the game safer? What medical treatments are being developed to prevent, heal, and even reverse the effects of severe injuries from the game? ¨ MUSICIANS’ VILLAGE Producer: Joseph E. Zappulla Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of New Orleans when it hit the Gulf in late August of 2005. Crescent City natives Harry Connick, Jr., and Branford Marsalis developed an idea to save part of the city’s soul – its music. They combined with Habitat for Humanity to create the “New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village,” making sure the sound that makes this city special, survives and thrives ¨ RAY LEWIS Producer: Deb Gelman When Ray Lewis announced his retirement, little did he know that the emotional momentum would carry him and the Ravens all the way to the Super Bowl. Lewis’ former teammate, Shannon Sharpe, sits down with the future Hall of Famer to discuss his career, his final season and this Super Bowl ride. ¨ JOE FLACCO Producer: Alanna Campbell Including postseason play, Joe Flacco is the winningest quarterback in the NFL over the last five seasons. Despite such lofty achievements, he is not widely considered to be one of the league’s top quarterbacks. Boomer Esiason talks with Flacco about the Ravens’ season of adversity, the team’s late-season switch at offensive coordinator, the Ravens’ playoff run, and whether he has what it takes to lead Baltimore to victory in Super Bowl XLVII. ¨ RAY RICE Producer: Alanna Campbell Baltimore running back Ray Rice takes us in his own words, on the Ravens’ journey to New Orleans. Along the way to New Orleans, Baltimore overcame injuries to superstars Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis, as well as a late-season offensive coordinator change. Through it all, the Ravens never lost focus and find themselves one game away from becoming Super Bowl XLVII champions. ¨ COLIN KAEPERNICK Producer: Jeff St. Arromand San Francisco’s multi-dimensional quarterback Colin Kaepernick has taken the NFL by storm. Thrust into the spotlight after starter Alex Smith suffered a concussion in Week 10, Kaepernick has taken control, going 7-2 in leading the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since the 1994 season. THE SUPER BOWL TODAY’s Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino visits with the young quarterback to discuss his newfound fame, the pressures and expectations that go along with starting in the NFL biggest game. ¨ VERNON DAVIS Producer: Jeff St. Arromand Vernon Davis, the 49ers’ star tight end, opens up to THE SUPER BOWL TODAY’s Bill Cowher about his maturation process in the NFL. No one has ever questioned Davis’ enormous physical gifts, but his attitude, early in his NFL career, was quite a different story. It so infuriated then-Head Coach Mike Singletary during a 2008 game, that he sent Davis back to the locker room for the remainder of the contest. In interviews for this piece, Davis and Singletary share an emotional message with each other. ¨ PATRICK WILLIS Producer: Mark Burghart San Francisco’s linebacker Patrick Willis grew up in rural Bruceton, Tenn., with three siblings in a small trailer. Life was not easy. His mother left when he was three, and his abusive father found that the daily struggle of raising his children became too much. As a last resort, the kids sought help from their school’s superintendent. Finally, the school’s basketball coach Chris Finley, and his wife, Julie, agreed to take in the four children. Patrick went on to play at Ole Miss and eventually with the 49ers, but the close bonds he had with the Finleys as a teenager remains strong to this day. ¨ THE SMITH BROTHERS (Aldon and Justin) Producer: Mark Burghart All Pro defensive stars Aldon Smith and Justin Smith take viewers on a special inside look at the 49ers’ emotional rollercoaster ride – from the heartbreak of losing the 2011 NFC Championship Game to the New York Giants through this season’s start and up to the pivotal decision by Head Coach Jim Harbaugh to replace starting quarterback Alex Smith with inexperienced, but explosive Colin Kaepernick. The Smiths also talk about their injuries and the final run to Super Bowl XLVII. In addition, a live shot with our troops from Afghanistan will be included during THE SUPER BOWL TODAY. Live musical performances throughout the day during THE SUPER BOWL TODAY will include national recording artists OneRepublic and Matchbox Twenty. And syndicated television star and iconic cooking and lifestyle personality Rachael Ray will prepare the perfect tailgate food. Grammy Award-winning recording artist Alicia Keys will performs the national anthem as part of the pre-game show.