We have the features and the approximate runtimes for the features ESPN will run in a four-hour edition of Sunday NFL Countdown. It will start airing as usual at 10 a.m. ET. Chris Berman will host and be joined by the usual cast of characters, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson from ESPN’s Super Bowl headquarters at the Jax Brewery site in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Suzy Kolber will appear on a second set with Tedy Bruschi, Trent Dilfer, Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski. And the Monday Night Football team of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will originate from the Louisiana Superdome.
Here’s the press release from ESPN.
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown Features for Super Bowl XLVII
Chris Berman and Countdown Analysts Live at Jax Brewery in New Orleans for Special Four-Hour Show;
Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden at Louisiana Superdome;
Reporters Sal Paolantonio (Ravens) and Ed Werder (49ers) will cover the Super Bowl XLVII teamsESPN will present a special four-hour Super Bowl XLVII edition of Sunday NFL Countdown live from New Orleans, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 3. Host Chris Berman will be joined by analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson on the main set at Jax Brewery in the heart of the French Quarter. Suzy Kolber and analysts Tedy Bruschi, Trent Dilfer, Merril Hoge, Ron Jaworski and Steve Young will appear from a second set, while Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will be at the Louisiana Superdome, site of the Baltimore Ravens-San Francisco 49ers game.
The roster of Countdown analysts – with a combined 12 Super Bowl rings in 19 appearances in the NFL’s biggest game – will preview the Super Bowl XLVII matchup, analyzing the matchup and drawing upon their own experiences of playing and winning in the league’s biggest game.
Additionally, NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report on the latest league and Super Bowl news, while reporters Sal Paolantonio (covering the Ravens) and Ed Werder (49ers) will provide updates throughout the program from the team hotels.
Planned Countdown features, in order of timing by quarter-hour (all times subject to change):
Steve Young and Trent Dilfer on the Super Bowl XLVII Quarterbacks (10:15 a.m. ET)
Steve Young is the last 49ers quarterback to win a Super Bowl while Trent Dilfer is the last, and only, Ravens Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Together, they will look beyond the playbook and provide insight on how the two quarterbacks – Colin Kaepernick (49ers) and Joe Flacco (Ravens) – are getting ready for the biggest game of their lives. In addition, Young and Dilfer will share their own Super Bowl day experiences.
Running Away (11:00 a.m.)
49ers linebacker and fearless pass rusher Aldon Smith sprints off after he sacks a quarterback – reminiscent of a warrior running away from the scene of his conquest. ESPN’s Rick Reilly reveals that Smith, who led the NFC in sacks this season, is not running away from anything.
Mayne Event: The Missing Harbaugh Brother (11:15 a.m.)
In a special Super Bowl XLVII edition of his self-titled and humorous “Mayne Event” segment, Kenny Mayne embarks on a mission to discover the man he thinks is the missing Harbaugh brother.
<h4In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Redskins’ 42-10 Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos, where Doug Williams became the first African American quarterback to start, and win, a Super Bowl, the pioneering signal-caller returns to San Diego to reminisce about that victory and how that Super Bowl continues to impact his life today.
Current Redskins quarterback and rookie sensation Robert Griffin III also narrates a tribute feature that includes prominent African Americans discussing how Williams’ performance in the Super Bowl transcended the game itself. Robert Griffin III narrates.
Steve Young and Jerry Rice with Chris Berman (11:45 a.m.)
Young and Jerry Rice were both on the field 18 years ago in the New Orleans Superdome when the 49ers last won the Super Bowl. Young threw the passes, while Rice led the receiving corps. The former teammates and Hall of Famers join Chris Berman on the set to re-live their 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIV memories.
Joe Flacco One-on-One with Ron Jaworski (12:00 p.m.)
After surviving a mid-season slump that cost the job of his offensive coordinator, Joe Flacco led the Ravens through the AFC playoffs with victories over the Broncos and Patriots, outperforming revered quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the process. This week, Flacco is one victory away from a Super Bowl title. In a one-on-one interview with Ron Jaworski, ESPN’s respected guru of quarterbacking, Flacco discusses how he silenced his critics en-route to the biggest game in American sport.
Torrey Smith – Overcoming Tragedy (12:30 p.m.)
In September, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith’s younger brother, Tevin, died in a motorcycle accident the day before Baltimore’s regular season game against New England. Fighting off the emotions, Smith caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Ravens to a 31-30 win over their AFC rival. In her Countdown debut, SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak tells Smith’s story of overcoming grief and loss to help the Ravens reach Super Bowl XLVII.
Colin Kaepernick Interview with Steve Young (1:00 p.m)
At the beginning of the season, Colin Kaepernick was the backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Week 10, he replaced an injured Alex Smith in a game against the St. Louis Rams. This week, he is on the verge of perhaps a Super Bowl victory. The second-year quarterback sits down for a conversation with 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback and Countdown analyst Steve Young to discuss the team’s Super Bowl run and the magical season it has become for him.
Frank Caliendo’s Big Easy Adventure (1:10 p.m.)
In Super Bowl XLVII, comedian Frank Caliendo toured the New Orleans French Quarter impersonating Monday Night Football’s Jon Gruden, roaming Bourbon Street and looking for answers to which team will win the game and asking “person in the street” fans to solve the “Spider 2 Y Banana” mystery.
Gruden’s Grinders (1:15 p.m.)
MNF’s Jon Gruden presents the Super Bowl edition of his weekly Monday Night Countdown segment, highlighting players who are currently under-the-radar but will deliver performances in the game that are worthy of being called a “Gruden Grinder.”
Super Bowl Edition of C’Mon Man! (1:35 p.m.)
The Countdown crew offers a special edition of its popular weekly Monday Night Countdown segment C’Mon Man, focusing primarily on the head-scratching plays in the NFL playoffs.
In addition, the program will feature Jazz musician Branford Marsalis in a series of New Orleans Super Bowl essays penned by award-winning writer Rick Reilly, an “Eye in the Sky” segment where Hoge and Jaworski offer a Xs and Os preview of key matchups in the game, and the Super Bowl XLVII picks.
That will do it. CBS’ rundown with runtimes are next
