Do we want Butler to get ****y?

Belichick once said, according to this thread:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...reads/defining-the-bb-defensive-back.1113462/

All good corners are selfish and ****y. There are no humble corners.

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(Note that is not a direct quote from BB, but a quote of a paraphrase of an article ...)

Is this just a flexible rule of thumb, or do we want Butler to be ****y? I kind of like his humble style. Do we have examples of corners who were amazing, but humble? Darrell Green comes to mind. I think he was extremely confident, but wasn't a jerk or even particularly selfish. But he was an amazing corner.

But people here know more than me about everything football related, so just curious what the football PhD's think...

In a word - - yes.


.....more importantly, I want Butler to continue to have a reason to be ****y.


.

darrel revis
**** sherman
aqib talib
patrick peterson

are all ****y or humble?

Butler actually seems quite ****y to me on the field. I see him talking a lot of trash after almost every play. Even last year before his big SB play.

He just doesn't show it in his interviews.

I don't mind one bit if he's super-****y, as long as:

1. he can back it up by being a true shut down corner
2. doesn't get into a brawl, or draws a stupid penalty for taunting

Outside of physical tools, CB's need two things, both tend to go hand in hand with ****iness (or perceived ****iness):

1) A short memory, so the play they just got burned on doesn't impact the next play.

2) Extreme confidence in what they're doing, so they can be decisive with their breaks and not play timid.

Sicilian said:

Outside of physical tools, CB's need two things, both tend to go hand in hand with ****iness (or perceived ****iness):

1) A short memory, so the play they just got burned on doesn't impact the next play.

2) Extreme confidence in what they're doing, so they can be decisive with their breaks and not play timid.

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What Butler needs now is experience. He was torched vs Pitt but a lot of it looked like it was due to inexperience. If he doesn't get better, we are in big trouble, but the fact that his NFL career before last week was about 100 snaps, and he certainly made rookie mistakes, gives hope that he will improve.

AndyJohnson said:

What Butler needs now is experience. He was torched vs Pitt but a lot of it looked like it was due to inexperience. If he doesn't get better, we are in big trouble, but the fact that his NFL career before last week was about 100 snaps, and he certainly made rookie mistakes, gives hope that he will improve.

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That's actually a point I meant to include in #2 above: That confidence often comes from experience and preparation. If your moves become instinct, your decisions get quicker.

Sicilian said:

2) Extreme confidence in what they're doing, so they can be decisive with their breaks and not play timid.

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This seems key.

Sicilian said:

That's actually a point I meant to include in #2 above: That confidence often comes from experience and preparation. If your moves become instinct, your decisions get quicker.

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Yup. That's probably why he gots lots of snaps in preseason vs GB, NO ..Add in the opener and that's 3 Super Bowl winning QBs he's faced.. Good learning experience...

It is actually easy for me to forget just how few snaps this kid has in regular season games. He still has a huge upside, is my hope.

****y can wait until he's established. Let's start with confident, and go from there.

I want him to work hard, prepare, and maximize his abilities. And if he does that, he should play with confidence. If that takes the form of "****iness," then fine.

As long as he doesn't oversleep his alarm after a big game ("Jonas Gray Syndrome") he should be okay............

neuronet said:

But people here know more than me about everything football related, so just curious what the football PhD's think...

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To me, the ultimate one-on-one battle at any given time on the field is the one between the CB and WR.
I feel both of these positions require a bit of (over)-confidence...if the player is actually good enough to back it up.

I thought he reacted well to the Pittsburgh game with Antonio Brown catching 9 passes on him. He was in excellent coverage most of the game, and Brown & Roethlisberger have one of the best relationships in the league - he's always going to catch some passes on you.

With his background, he's going to have to learn to be ****y - it'll come with experience and being great at doing his job: shutting down #1 corners. With the quality coverage he had against Brown, I'd have no issues putting him on Sammy Watkins and letting them go at it.

I like that he has definitely developed some attitude. Yesterday he was jawing after a play. A little too much, I admit, but good to see it.

I would prefer a sensitive, self-reflective man who often insecurely ponders whether he belongs in the league, second guessing himself several times each play.

Too late. He's already there. He is what he needs to be.

I wish Dobson had a bit of that juice in him... fight for the ball... fight for it, man. He's got the tools, but needs the attitude. Take a cue from Edelman or Brady or Gronk or Butler... those guys are fiery.

I think that Belichick quote pretty much answered the question itself. Yes, we want him to be ****y. More importantly, we want his play to be consistently at a level where ****iness is warranted.