By Adam Kuffner

NBC had the rights from the NFL to cover this year’s Super Bowl. Nothing jumped out about the telecast, but the overall broadcast flowed smoothly with the game. Al Michaels called the game with Cris Collinsworth alongside. Michelle Tafoya was the sideline reporter and she updated the audience on injuries throughout the game. Tafoya was also able to interview coaches during halftime, letting everyone know how each coach assessed the first half.

There were a few story lines talked about throughout the game. At the start of the game, Michaels talked about how this game was  “Act II” referring back to the first Super Bowl matchup between these two teams in Super Bowl XLII.  Throughout the broadcast, various people associated with the teams were shown watching the game from their respective suites including: Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, Giants President/CEO John Mara, Eli Manning’s family (most notably Archie), and Tom Brady’s supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen.

My favorite part of the broadcast was arguably the biggest play of the game when Eli Manning hit Mario Manningham down the sideline for a 38-yard gain on the Giants’ game-winning drive.  Immediately, the catch was challenged by Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. NBC provided great replays of the amazing catch including one of its latest innovations NBCee It. This technology froze the camera shot, zoomed in, and moved the shot to give fans a perfect view of Manningham getting both feet in bounds to make the incredible catch! Michaels and Collingsworth acknowledged how amazing the play was, and NBCee It helped back up their proclamations.

The game came down-to-the-wire although the commentators didn’t sound very excited about the biggest game of the year being so close. However, there weren’t any major errors, and the overall production of Super Bowl XLVI lived up to the standards of a Super Bowl broadcast.