Q: Tell me a little bit about your sports background and how it led you to becoming an NFL analyst and now hosting a news show.
NB: When I was drafted in 2003, I would visit different networks in the off-season and pay my own way to rub shoulders with the right people. When I went back home to Seattle, I would work with our local news stations, and I worked with the media department of every team that I was on.
For me, that was sharpening my tools. Then, near the end of my career, they put on a broadcast boot camp, which allows applicants to put their name and brand out for the NFL to look at us. Out of a thousand applicants, 40 guys were selected. That year, I was a standout. I say that because many people patted me on the back and said, “Hey, you have a chance to work in media when you're done.”
When I decided to retire, I was running a restaurant, and a couple of clothing lines, writing poetry, and helping the athletes invest money. I had to focus. I didn't want to be good at a bunch of things. I wanted to be really good at one thing, and I locked in on TV.
I love the game, but I did not want to go back to play or coach. I put all my eggs in the basket of media, and the NFL Network allowed me to display more of my personality than other networks. I was able to flex certain muscles and show my creativity.
Q: In addition to The NFL Today, can you talk about the CBS Mornings crew going to the Super Bowl?
NB: It's pretty cool. Me, Gayle, Tony, we’re going to be live in Vegas (so yes, I have to be up even earlier). I've already committed to zero parties and maximum sleep. CBS Mornings will have a presence all week long with every branch of the CBS and Paramount tree. We will have access to the biggest acts and names, the celebrities and influencers, and the athletes who will be there for the Super Bowl.
Then we get to hand the baton to The NFL Today and we just take off from there with all the news, analysis, opinions and storylines surrounding the game. Four-hour pre-game show, halftime, postgame show. I turn around, wake up, and do another hit.
Q: Can you break down your involvement in the Super Bowl?
NB: It's going to be great for Paramount and exciting for me. It will be the hardest week of my life from a working perspective, but it's also something that no other talent has ever done: A morning news show that leads into the NFL pregame and then in the booth for the Nickelodeon telecast. Then I come back at halftime with the big dogs – JB, Phil, Coach, Boomer and JJ – go back to finish the game with the Nickelodeon crew, Superman it back up with the suit to do the post-game, and then wake up and do the news on Monday.