The biggest NFL TV signing of the offseason, NBC’s rookie Mike Tomlin, dropped one of his Tomlinisms almost immediately as he assessed the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks before their game against the New England Patriots.

Tomlin described how defending champions can be either “hungry or driven.” He then mentioned a “tapeworm.” His overall point was that as the hunted, not the hunter, you have to want it more.

While it was a bit confusing, he could have been detailing his move from Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers coach to studio analyst.

Though Tomlin brought much-needed gravitas to the remodeled “Football Night in America” in his regular-season debut, his performance left more of a question than a verdict: To borrow his terminology, does he have a “tapeworm”-like drive for TV or not?

For sure, Tomlin has a lot of potential. His on-air presence is exceptional, as you want to know what he is going to say. He looked pretty comfortable on set and had the signals down on where to look as Maria Taylor quarterbacked a revamped NBC pre-game show that will be on the road every week.

Tomlin was a bit tepid, as it definitely wasn’t fully clear whether this is just a timeout in his coaching career or if he’s going full John Madden, leaving his whistle behind for good for TV. He provided some insight, but it was a little see-no-evil, without a “Wow” moment.

The Seahawks’ injuries on defense? Well, that could be a “blessing in disguise,” Tomlin decided, as Seattle’s head coach Mike McDonald might be inclined to keep the game plans simple and players can be looser. Half-full stuff, for sure.

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Tomlin is just 54, even though it feels like he has been around the NFL forever. When Taylor introduced Tomlin at the top of the pregame, she teased that the crew will have to tame Tomlin’s urge to put a coach’s headset on.

It was a warm and appropriate way to bring Tomlin on board. Just like the man he succeeded in Pittsburgh, CBS’ Bill Cowher, Tomlin’s name is probably going to float around every big coaching job that opens. Cowher consistently said no. Will Tomlin?

Tomlin has been high on TV executives’ wish lists for a long time. He received a big contract from NBC that, according to sources with knowledge of his deal but who were not authorized to speak publicly, is a bit back-loaded to entice him to stay longer. NBC clearly wants to build around Taylor and Tomlin.

NBC made a good decision to change its format. Its studio show has consistently been the most-watched on Sundays because it is wedged between the end of the afternoon games and the national spotlight matchup in primetime. It had too many people on the show and cut loose Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Jac Collinsworth and Matthew Berry. A new, improved dynamic was immediately evident: Less is more for each analyst.

Tomlin joined holdovers Taylor, Devin McCourty, Jason Garrett and insider Mike Florio. It felt a little bigger, though the format was irregular for “Football Night in America.” The crew focused on previewing the opening night game, rather than reacting to an afternoon slate of games, like it will the rest of the season.

The show’s best moment belonged to McCourty. After Taylor and Tomlin mimicked shadow boxing following a Seattle segment about building team chemistry, McCourty said how his old Patriots teams used to unwind with some “trasketball,” setting up garbage pail hoops to shoot. But after a late-season loss, Tom Brady cut the basket, saying, “Hey guys, it’s playoff time, let’s focus.”

Tomlin, who was younger than 39-year-old McDonald when he won his Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2009, can take us inside locker rooms and mindsets. How a coach translates that to TV is what breeds success. So while the tapeworm bit had its moments, it needs to be a little better designed to showcase Tomlin’s unique insights.

“I think you learn about yourself,” Tomlin said. “Not only as individuals, but as a collective after you win a world championship. You learn whether or not you are hungry or you’re driven. Certainly, hunger can be satisfied.

“Driven is like a tapeworm. You want to do business when you are in their position with driven people. You need to minimize and eliminate the hungry and really elevate the driven because that’s what it is going to take to answer is some drive, and it’s different being the hunted as opposed to the hunters.”

Throughout the night, Tomlin had a few more quality Tomlinisms, including describing Jaxon Smith-Njigba as “running water,” seemingly to allude to the smoothness of his route running.

To reach the next level, Tomlin will need to reveal hard truths without regard for future jobs.

At halftime, he showed a flash as the NBC crew previewed Thursday night’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams game in Melbourne. The 49ers arrived a week or so ago, while the Rams flew in just a day before, taking a completely opposite approach to the time difference. Tomlin was definitely behind San Francisco’s plan.

That is what we need more of from him. It’s probably in him to be a star. How driven is he to succeed on TV? Does he have a tapeworm or not?