We've all experienced that flash of panic at some point of our lives. At some point it dawns on you the one thing that couldn't slip your mind, has slipped your mind. You get to the airport only to realize your wallet is still at home, or that project you thought was due next week is actually due today. Your face turns white, and your heart starts beating 1,000 times a second. Know that feeling?
Kyle Shanahan had that on Monday night.
The Falcons' offensive coordinator attended Super Bowl Media Night on Monday and at some point realized his backpack was missing. The backpack that contained the Falcons' game plan for the Super Bowl:
“I’ve got to find it,” Shanahan told USA TODAY Sports, searching more than 15 minutes after the media session ended, the players already departed.
Shanahan's backpack was missing for 15 minutes. One minute in that situation can feel like hours, so 15 minutes had to be excruciating.
After half an hour of searching, Shanahan told USA Todayhas bag was eventually returned by San Francisco Examiner Art Spander, who accidentally walked off with the bag and didn't realize it until a fellow media member pointed it out.
While it's not like the Falcons entire plan for Sunday night existed solely in Shanahan's backpack, it's still not hard to imagine how Monday night's mix up could have gotten very bad very fast for the Falcons had the bag ended up in the wrong hands.