Before Miles Killebrew would be asked to cover like a cornerback and hit like a linebacker, to look like a safety and line up like a defensive end, to merge the most difficult week of his personal life with the most important of his professional one, the Detroit Lions wanted to know if he could be Hercules for a night.
It was in the heat of a fast start to a new season when the Lions community relations staff was planning what it would call the Superhero Ball for children diagnosed with cancer. They needed to find players they thought would enjoy being someone else for a change, so of course their 24-year-old hybrid safety came to mind.