CBS prepares for Super Bowl XXXV

By ERNEST HOOPER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 29, 2000

ATLANTA -- CBS Sports president Sean McManus, 43, is here for Super Bowl XXXIV, but he has his sights set firmly on Tampa Bay and Super Bowl XXXV.

McManus enjoyed a Tampa Bay stay at last year's Final Four and he envisions an equally successful visit during next year's big game.

"We had a great time," McManus said. "The weather was terrific. The hospitality and organizing committee couldn't have been better and we got lucky in that we had maybe, arguably, one of, if not the best, final games in the last 20 years. For us, it was a great experience.

"And I'm relatively comfortable in saying the weather in Tampa Bay is going to be better than the weather in Atlanta. If it's not, we're all going to be in trouble."

Viewing ABC's setup affords CBS the opportunity to begin preparing a year in advance. But really the preparation started two years ago when the network first nabbed the NFL rights from NBC.

"We're constantly having conversations throughout the year," McManus said. "It's just been one constant thought or another about how we're going to try to do the best job we can from a production standpoint.

"This week is not so much a technical preparation weekend as it is just a chance to see what kind of facilities ABC has in its compound, talk to the NFL about how our compound will be set up, and more or less prepare ourselves psychologically for the Super Bowl."

The network's top team of Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms already is in place, and McManus said he is pleased with the revamped lineup he has on the NFL Today, which featured newcomers in Craig James, Randy Cross and Jerry Glanville.

"Even without the addition of Dick Enberg, I think top to bottom on our play-by-play and analysts, I think we were the best in the business as far as the NFL is concerned," McManus said.

Looking into the crystal ball, you have to envision a quality effort from Gumbel and Simms, who McManus calls the best NFL analyst in the business. That label actually belongs to Fox's Matt Millen, but Simms certainly is part of a short list.

The real question is will Glanville stick for another season. While Glanville is either loved or loathed by every viewer, the temptation to add a hot name such as Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells may be there.

But if McManus sticks with Glanville, you would have a difficult time challenging the decision simply because he has been right on so many other moves.

For McManus the game should be another milestone in what has been an impressive reign since he took over 31/2 years ago.

CBS has made several key acquisitions, none bigger than the NFL since McManus has taken over. At the same time, it managed to retain the rights to such prestigious properties as the Masters and the NCAA men's basketball championship.

Gone are the days when CBS was easy fodder for critics and bad production and misfortune plagued many of its major events. Even McManus admits that.

"When I got there three years ago, for a variety of reasons, the perception of CBS Sports was pretty bad and it was getting worse, almost on a weekly basis," McManus said. "I don't think our on-air product was consistently good week to week, our lineup of announcers was not as deep and our programing lineup was good, but without the NFL, it never could have been a first-rate sports department."

Trade magazines report the NFL has helped CBS' owned and operated stations double their profits to $90-million, while the national advertising sales have increased 30 percent.

Conservative estimates have CBS making at least $150-million on next year's Super Bowl.

Now we just have to make sure the weather holds up.

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