In case you needed any more evidence that the NFL is truly king in America, Super Bowl XLVI is the most-watched television program in U.S. history and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, according to fast national data released by The Nielsen Company.

The game was seen by a record 111.3 million viewers (6:31-9:58 p.m. ET), topping last year’s 111.0 for Super Bowl XLV on Fox and is the biggest audience to watch a television program in U.S. history. I guess the lockout didn’t hurt interest in the game after all.

MOST-WATCHED PROGRAMS IN U.S. TELEVISION HISTORY:

1. 111.3 Million – Super Bowl XLVI, Patriots vs. Giants, NBC
2. 111.0 Million – Super Bowl XLV, Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox
3. 106.5 Million – Super Bowl XLIV, New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts, CBS
4. 106.0 Million – M.A.S.H. Finale, CBS
5. 98.7 Million – Super Bowl XLIII, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals, NBC

Very promising trends here for Roger Goodell. 4/5 most tv programs are Super Bowls, and it’s the most recent four! If these trends continue, the financial pie will only get bigger and sweeter for the NFL.

HIGHEST-RATED SUPER BOWL IN 26 YEARS: Sunday’s game earned a 47.0 rating and a 71 share, a gain of two percent from last year’s 46.0/69 for Super Bowl XLV and is the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1986 (Bears-Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 48.3/70). The 47.0 rating is the 6th highest in Super Bowl history.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

The Associated Press has announced that the Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has won the 2011 Most Valuable Player.

Rodgers beat out fellow signal-callers Drew Brees and Tom Brady for his first-ever MVP Award. He was without a doubt the best player in the league while throwing for 4,653 yards, 45 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Rodgers also used his speedy legs to rush for three more touchdowns in the 2011 season.

Rodgers doesn’t have the Packers in the Super Bowl, but overall can’t be too upset with being named the top player in the league for 2011. Not too bad for a guy who wasn’t even considered elite until he led the Packers to a Super Bowl win just a year ago (where he was also named MVP).

The amazing aspect of Rodgers’ 2011 season was how his numbers stack up with those of Brady and Brees despite playing one less game. In the game Rodgers sat out (because the Packers had a No. 1 seed locked up), Flynn had his coming out party, including a franchise best six touchdowns and 480 passing yards. It’s impossible to say Rodgers would have had the same numbers, but I’m betting they wouldn’t have been far off.

Even though the Giants knocked off the Packers in a divisional playoff match-up, it doesn’t take away from an impressive 15-1 season where Rodgers was the focal point. And after all, the MVP award is a regular season award.

Rodgers took part in the new and semi-entertaining award show, “NFL Honors,” including a spot where he introduced the Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs as the Defensive Player of the Year.

The next question for the Packers superstar quarterback is whether he’s better than the longtime great, Brett Favre. They share the same amount of Super Bowl rings (1), but Favre still has the edge in MVP Awards with three.

In other team-related news, wideout Randall Cobb won the NFL’s Play of the Year for his kick-off return in the first game of the season. Video for he 108 yard return for a touchdown can be found by clicking here!

Do you think Aaron Rodgers is better than Favre or does he have some more work to do? Let me know by commenting below!

Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.

The 2012 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful professional athletes in the U.S was released last night by Bloomberg/Businessweek, revealing Drew Brees at the top of the list (go to this link to see the top 20). 26 NFL football players (including four heading to the Super Bowl) are on the list.

CSE’s Analytics team, lead by VP, Analytics, David Newman, evaluated more than 3,000 athletes across a variety of sports, with 50 percent based on “off-field” measurements and 50 percent on “on-field” performance.

After the jump, check out the 26 NFL players in the top 100

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

With an offense led by Aaron Rodgers and a seemingly endless amount of weapons on the perimeter, a running game has not been integral for the Green Bay Packers the past couple of years.  However, with Ryan Grant hitting the free agent market this off-season, general manager Ted Thompson will have to make a decision about which direction to go with the position.

After suffering a torn ACL in the first game of the 2010 season, Grant had a decent bounce back year with the limited opportunities he was given.  He only ran the ball 134 times for 559 yards, giving him a respectable average of 4.2 yards per carry.  Grant spent most of the season splitting carries with James Starks as head coach Mike McCarthy often rode the hot hand (err… I guess legs in this situation) depending on the feel of the game.

Even though he has only played five years in the NFL, Grant does turn 30 years old which is typically the beginning of the end for most running backs.  Our friends at WalterFootball.com rank Grant as the ninth best free agent running back available this off-season.  If Thompson and McCarthy want Grant back, they should be able to re-sign him at a fairly affordable rate and for a short-term deal.  If Grant is not part of the Pack’s future, they will have to find an up-grade at running back somewhere else.

Starks, Alex Green, and Brandon Saine currently make up the running back corp for the 2012 season.  Accountability is the biggest concern with that group.  Starks battled injury this past season; an issue that has plagued him since he missed his entire senior season at Buffalo because of a shoulder injury.  Green, a third round pick in last year’s NFL Draft, is still an unknown commodity since he only touched the ball four times in 2011 before undergoing season ending knee surgery.  An undrafted free agent signing in July, Saine got more work as this season progressed due to the injury to Starks but really shouldn’t be counted on to play a major role next year.

There is no way Green Bay can comfortably enter the 2012 season with those three running backs but as Packer fans know, it is highly unlikely Thompson will sign an established free agent running back or trade a draft pick for one either since his philosophy is building through the draft.  With all the upgrades needed on the defensive side of the football though, I can’t imagine Thompson using a first or second day draft pick on a running back either.

Therefore, the most viable option seems to be re-signing Grant and continuing to utilize the two-headed attack of him and Starks with either Green or Saine serving as a third down back.  Thompson has been able to find low round steals (Grant was acquired for a sixth round pick, Starks was a seventh round pick, Saine an undrafted free agent), so maybe he can strike gold again.  Let’s be honest though; as long as Aaron Rodgers is under center in Green Bay, a dominant running game is not needed.  Still, the Starks/Green/Saine trio won’t cut it either.

OTHER PACKER OFF-SEASON ARTICLES:

WHAT SHOULD THE PACKERS DO WITH FREE AGENT JERMICHAEL FINLEY?

Following some of the links here could lead to NSFW photos, just warning you now about that. Check it out, Playboy Playmate Jaime Edmondson in every NFL team’s gear. Call it Playboy’s salute to the greatest sport on the planet. When you’re done enjoying Jaime’s photos, vote for which one you think is the hottest.

Miss January 2010 is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and co-creator of the Play by Playmate sports blog on Playboy.com By the way, BIG SHOCKER of news here, Edmondson has a tramp stamp. You can see it prominently in many of her pics. Quite a surprise, isn’t it?

See the full gallery here

Follow Edmondson on Twitter here

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports 

He does regular weekly radio spots in Chicago and Cleveland and has appeared on live shows all across the world from Houston to New Zealand. You can follow him on Twitter

With Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley, Scott Wells, and Matt Flynn all free agents and the Green Bay Packers needing some drastic upgrades on the defensive side of the football, Pack general manager Ted Thompson has some major decisions to make this off-season.

Of the aforementioned names, Finley’s is the most intriguing.  He is one of the most dynamic tight ends in the game (ya know, when he isn’t dropping passes), but should the Packers be willing to give him a long-term extension and for how much?

The M.O. of Thompson has been and likely always will be building through the draft and then signing his own players to extensions rather than scouring the free agent market for already established names.  Our friends at WalterFootball.com rank Finley as the top free agent tight end in the 2012 class.  With play-makers at that position hard to come by, Finley should have plenty of suitors in free agency.

This past season, he finished 11th among tight ends with 767 receiving yards and third with eight touchdowns.  However, his 14 drops were the most among tight ends and became a prolonged problem as the season progressed.  Finley is also one of the more outspoken players in the Packers’ locker room, never afraid to actually say what is on his mind which could be viewed as disruptive to the team.

Since he only turns 25 years old in March, there is still plenty of room for improvement and while the Packers have quality, young depth at the position with guys like Andrew Quarless, Tom Crabtree, D.J. Williams, and Ryan Taylor; none of those guys posses Finley’s ability to stretch the field.

The Green Bay Press Gazette reported that the Packers are interested in signing Finley to a long-term extension and head coach Mike McCarthy spoke very highly of Finley’s work ethic at his end of the year press conference.  If Finley’s price tag is too high, the Packers could use their franchise tag which would mean he would likely make around $5.4 million next season.  However, the green and gold could also use their franchise tag on Flynn in hopes of dealing him and getting some draft picks in return.

We know Thompson will be aggressive in trying to bring Finley back to Title Town since he is still a vital part of the Packers’ offense and causes match-up nightmares for opposing defenses.  We also know that Thompson will not overpay a player and put the team’s salary cap situation in limbo especially with the multiple decisions that need to be made this off-season.

When it is all said and done, I think Finley is still sporting the green and gold next season.  There is just no way in hell that Thompson will open up his wallet and give Finley a Vernon Davis-type (6-years, more than $42 million which he signed at the beginning of the 2010 season.)  I would guess it will be somewhere around the three or four year variety at around five-million dollars per season which would still give Finley a chance to become a free agent when he is 28 and cash in on one more big deal.

OTHER PACKER OFF-SEASON ARTICLES:

PACKERS OFF-SEASON MUST; FIND AN ANSWER AT RUNNING BACK

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins ended their search for a Head Coach by naming the former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin, to the position. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Philbin’s first course of action should be in Miami.

The Dolphins’ most glaring need is at quarterback. Whether they have already planned to draft one in April or stick with the inconsistent Matt Moore or Chad Henne has yet to be determined.

Another idea would be for Philbin to urge the Dolphins’ front office to pursue Packers back-up QB Matt Flynn in free agency or a sign-and-trade.

The biggest risk on Flynn involves committing to a player who has only two career starts in the NFL. While Flynn could turn out to be a steal, the Dolphins definitely don’t want to end up with a Kevin Kolb-esque deal (Arizona Cardinals in 2011).

When it comes down to knowing what kind of player Flynn is, there probably isn’t a better guy than Joe Philbin. Philbin has spent every practice with the signal caller and knows his tendencies better than anyone.

From the Packers perspective, there shouldn’t be any problem dealing him to the Dolphins if they do decide to franchise him. Otherwise, Flynn could also end up with the Dolphins via a bidding war involving what looks to be many teams.

From Flynn’s perspective, Miami would be a great place to land. They have an up-and-coming offensive line with Jake Long and Mike Pouncey, dangerous weapons like RB Reggie Bush and WR Brandon Marshall and one of the better defenses in the league.

Seeing that the Dolphins would have to make a significant trade to move up and get Robert Griffin III, this is probably one of the more likely scenarios to where Flynn could go.

If a deal is done, a debate will start on whether Flynn is a franchise quarterback or not. He doesn’t have the out-of-this-world ability, but the guy does win. And in this kind of league, that’s all you need sometimes.

What do you think about the possibility of Matt Flynn playing in South Beach? Would it be a good fit or should he go somewhere else? Let me know by commenting below!

Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.

We have a new podcast.  It is “Dorf on Sports” – a show from Phoenix focusing on national material.

On this edition of the show, Fred and Andy look at the NFL playoffs and this weekend’s games.  Fred rants about his AT&T experience, and there is a discussion of the NBA comparing past and present players.

Listen to the show at this link 

download the show here

Meet Green Bay Packers fan Casey Lewis. The stunning upset loss to the New York Giants last Sunday made her rather emotional. This video is a very good cautionary tale for and about cheeseheads everywhere.

Casey seems to believe in a lot of the same superstitions as other sports fans. That what jersey you wear actually makes a difference, whether or not you paint sparkes in your fingernails (yeah, this is always an agonizing decision for me on game day) affects the outcome of the game.

My favorite part of the video though is when Lewis mocks/imitates her friend through her tears.

More importantly, at least she didn’t go violent after the loss, like this Cheesehead woman did.

Enjoy the vid after the jump; Miss Wisconsin/America Laura Kaeppler hitting on Aaron Rodgers this is not.

h/t to Outkick the Coverage

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too

Laura Kaeppeler was named Miss America 2012, entering the pageant at Miss Wisconsin. Therefore, you can put aside your stereotypes about fat people in Wisconsin; at least for a year. And as you might expect, she’s a Green Bay Packers fan.

Kaeppler introduced herself on the evening of her crowning moment by mentioning the NFL’s defending Super Bowl champions and their superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too