Before the flash of thousands of cameras at kickoff. Before Taylor Swift swoops in to swipe a good portion of the game’s TV attention for herself. Before fellow Scenic City native Usher’s halftime spectacle, and long before fireworks and confetti fill the air inside Allegiant Stadium.
Before all of the hoopla and brouhaha surrounding Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday in Las Vegas, Daniel Bullocks will attempt the impossible. The former Hixson High School star, now in his seventh season as a defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers, will find a spot at the end of his team’s bench to claim three minutes of seclusion and stillness for himself.
“I’m pretty superstitious about keeping everything the same before every game, even this week,” Bullocks said Friday evening between team meetings. “My routine before every game is to sit quietly by myself and take three minutes to just sort of focus my thoughts. I pray to thank God for the opportunity that I have and for the safety of both teams, and then I just sort of look around and take it all in.
“For this game, there’s a lot more to take in.”
The 40-year old Bullocks, who said he still tries to make it back home at least once a year, is making his second Super Bowl appearance as an assistant coach. The 49ers came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, but now they’re favored to claim redemption against that same opponent.