THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Look local to find a hero in the big game

It’s cool when the Super Bowl turns up a surprise hero.

I’m not talking about Patrick Mahomes or any of the other stars who are already ticketed for the Hall of Fame.

I mean, we expect to see players like that on center stage, leading a two-minute drive in the fourth quarter.

Let’s have a hero from nowhere.

Circumstances make it unusual, for one thing.

Teams don’t get to the Super Bowl — proven conference champions — by yanking wide receivers off Amazon loading docks.

Once in a while, though, there will be a name buried somewhere on a roster, a player waiting for his moment in the spotlight.

And magic happens.

Maybe it’s just one or two game-changing players, or a couple of seconds when we see a play that is certain to be remembered by football fans forever.

Maybe you’re asking if I have a candidate for this particular “hero-from-the-sky” who will turn up in the Seahawks-Patriots match this Sunday.

You’re wondering if I have a “Mr. Surprise” on my Bingo card, in fact I do.

MY GUY is Seattle running back George Holani.

You may know him more from his heroics at Boise State than in his spare usage with the Seahawks.

Trust me.

This tough, athletic native of New Zealand can really play.

The Hawks believe it, too.

Seattle has a brutal squad for a running back to pop up and make an impression.

The top two — Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet — form as talented a duo as you can find in the NFL.

Charbonnet, though, is out until next season after injuring his knee against the 49ers late in the year.

That misfortune robbed Seattle of its bruiser.

Charbonnet is a rougher runner and better third-down back than Walker.

That brings Holani, from Boise State, to the stage.

He looked good in preseason, then also missed a huge chunk of the season with an injury.

Holani came back in the NFC title game, earning 23 snaps and three carries — despite his lack of reps in practice while Charbonnet was still healthy.

And here’s the thing: The Seahawks HAVE to run the ball to be successful against the Pats.

Walker is not one of those backs who pounds away and gets better with his number of carries.

He needs help.

Holani will get a chance to make plays, and I suspect he’ll turn in some jaw-droppers.

IT’S JUST reality that players like George Holani sparkle in the Super Bowl.

You may not remember all the shock heroes, and I didn’t either — until I fell over a story from KOMO News in Seattle.

I’ll let them tell you about the surprise Super Bowl stars.

Here we go:

“In the previous two years (prior to last year’s Philly victory), Kansas City relied on lesser-known receivers to win back-to-back titles.

“Mecole Hardman caught the winning TD pass for Kansas City in overtime to beat San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII, while Kadarius Toney had a TD catch and long punt return that proved crucial in beating the Eagles the previous year.

“That’s been the case over the history of the Super Bowl, whether it was unheralded MVPs like Larry Brown, Dexter Jackson or Malcolm Smith; Jack Squirek’s pick-six for the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII against Washington; Timmy Smith’s 204 yards rushing in his first career start for Washington against Denver in Super Bowl XXII; or David Tyree’s helmet catch that helped the Giants spoil New England’s bid for a perfect season in Super Bowl XLII.”

Wow!

I write about these games for a living, I’ve attended quite a few Super Bowls and, still, I had to dust off plenty of cobwebs to recall each of those heroics.

Needless to say, KOMO didn’t bother to include Malcolm Butler — I suppose because most fans in the Northwest know him as well as a lot of their neighbors.

Butler turned up recently with this Seahawks-Pats rematch on tap (and explained that Russell Wilson gave away the play with his eyes).

I’m assuming that if KOMO’s story were edited for other parts of the country, Butler’s interception would be rewarded with several paragraphs.

Not in the Northwest, though.

We’ll find our own surprise heroes, thanks.

Maybe George Holani.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."