If it wasn’t for a package called “O-line-three corner,” or for those famous two words shouted by then-safeties coach Brian Flores, Malcolm Butler wouldn’t have found himself on the goal line with 26 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIX.
The rookie by way of Hinds Community College and West Alabama had left the field for the previous play – a four-yard Marshawn Lynch run destined for a touchdown if not for Dont’a Hightower’s last-gasp tackle – after being a first-hand witness to Jermaine Kearse’s improbable 33-yard reception down the right sideline.
But “O-line-three corner” was called upon in a 28-24 game.