Brandon Browner played colossal role in Malcolm Butler's interception

We've broken down Malcolm Butler's game-sealing pick various ways over the course of this week, but it's worth one more look in order to highlight what may be some of the more underrated aspects of the play that won Super Bowl XLIX.

As we always do in this space, we'll use the insight of those who were there to help paint a clearer picture of what actually happened. In this instance, we'll hear from Butler, corner Brandon Browner, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, defensive end Chandler Jones and others as they tried to figure out what they had in the final seconds of the game.

The Seahawks came out in 11-personnel with running back Marshawn Lynch lined up in the backfield and tight end Luke Willson on the left side of the line of scrimmage. Two receivers -- Jermaine Kearse and Ricardo Lockette -- aligned to the right side of the formation, while receiver Doug Baldwin motioned from right to left.

As Baldwin took off down the line of scrimmage, Patriots corner Darrelle Revis moved with him, telling quarterback Russell Wilson that the Patriots were in man-to-man coverage. It's exactly what the Seahawks were looking for, and Wilson glanced to his right, believing they had the right play-call for this particular defense in this particular situation.

"I saw Wilson looking over there," Butler said. "He kept his head still and just looked over there so that gave me a clue. And the stacked receivers -- I just knew they were going to throw. My instincts, I just went with it."

Wilson had attacked Butler already multiple times during the second half. He went after the undrafted rookie out of West Alabama on his previous pass play, when Butler actually got his hand on a deep attempt to Kearse, but the ball miraculously fell into Kearse's hands for a completion anyway.

"I feel like the game was on me if we lost," Butler said. "But we had another play."

Butler recognized the formation the Seahawks had settled on, and not only was he expecting them to pass again, but he was expecting them to target him again. He was expecting a pick play.

Yet despite his recognition of the Seattle formation, he would need some help to be able to get to the ball in time to break up a game-winning touchdown. Lucky for the Patriots, they had their most physical corner, Browner, lined up on Kearse, whose goal on this particular play was a kamikaze mission of sorts.

Kearse was expected to get Browner to backpedal far enough to where either Butler would bump into his teammate or at least have to run around Browner to get to Lockette's slant underneath.

Browner, who stands 6-feet-4 inches and bench-presses over 300 pounds, extended his long arms and did what the Patriots signed him to do last offseason. His strong jam stopped Kearse in his tracks and left Butler plenty of room to react and make a play on the football.

"Guys were saying, 'We've got to get the ball back,' " Browner said. "I'm like, 'Man, we're up by four. A field goal is not going to win so if they get the ball back, don't let them past this line.' "

His play at the one-yard line, before the ball was thrown by Wilson, kept the Seahawks from breaking the plane.

When Wilson released the pass, it appeared as though Lockette had plenty of space to finish his route, make a catch, and score to give Seattle the lead. But Butler's closing speed, something he's flashed since OTAs, was enough to beat the Seahawks wideout in the briefest of foot-races.

"The guys doesn't know moments," said Patriots safety Devin McCourty. "Whether it be the first OTA, practice, playoffs, regular season, Super Bowl, he just goes and plays. That stuck out as soon as he came here as an undrafted free agent and he's making plays left and right.

"We've got a bunch of guys that have played a lot of years in this league, All-Pros, Pro Bowlers. When the guy is making plays all offseason, we said, 'He's going to play on this team. We're going to be able to use him.' For him to get his first-career interception to end the Super Bowl, it speaks volumes of the guy's character."

Butler played the play just as he remembered it. After diagnosing the Seahawks formation, he made no false-steps and crashed down to where he expected the football to be as if he knew the play when it was called in the huddle. If he'd have been wearing a different-colored jersey, he would have looked like a receiver coming back to the throw as opposed to a defensive back reacting to one.

When he got to the football, Butler arrived with such force that he sent Lockette into the air and back toward the line of scrimmage. He had been in this kind of position before in practice, his teammates explained.

"We call him 'Scrap' because the first time we saw him he was so scrappy and he found himself around the ball all the time," Wilfork said, "and I think that was one of the main reasons he was in the game. Throughout the course of the year he shows up at practice every day. He makes plays. That moment with him making that play is just a fairy tale ending to a book because what he has done all year for us."

As many of Butler's teammates -- Tom Brady in particular -- jumped for joy, his eyes welled up.

"I saw a couple tears in his eyes," said safety Patrick Chung, who made sure to grab the ball after Butler had dropped it during the ensuing celebration. "Just to have that feeling, he pretty much ended the game for us. I have no idea how he's feeling because I feel crazy so I can't imagine how he's feeling. I love you, Malcolm."

Butler wasn't the only one who had his emotions moved to tears.

"I immediately started crying right there on the field," Jones said. "But it's a great feeling . . . Just a few plays before that, Kearse made a huge, tremendous catch and that's nothing against Malcolm. He played the ball perfectly. (Kearse) came down with the ball. Malcolm did a good job of just swallowing that play and moving on to the next play, and he won us the game."

With an assist from Browner, Butler went from an unknown depth corner to a household name in a blink. He was invited to be honored at a parade in Disney World, and was praised by Brady as though he -- a 24-year-old from Vicksburg, Miss. -- was one of the future Hall-of-Famer's idols.

"Unbelievable play by Malcolm," said Brady. "We didn't call a timeout and the clock was winding down and we realized, you know, this is basically it if we stopped them. I saw the interception and couldn't believe it. It was just an incredible play. You know, what a play -- a championship play."

Butler has been a soft-spoken but confident player since arriving in Foxboro. He played like he belonged in training camp, and he got chances in the regular season -- particularly two pass breakups against talented Bears receivers -- that gave his swagger a boost.

But, after the game, even Butler was caught trying to wrap his head around the magnitude of what he'd just done. And understandably so.

"I had a feeling I was going to make a big play," he said. "But not this big."

-- Phil Perry, CSNNE.com