Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

[SalemPats]

That's super disrespectful to Rivers. He's a hell of a QB, especially when you consider how inept the management of the team he plays for has been for the last... forever.

he's ok, in that Tony Romo, Matt Ryan tier. Not elite

 

[sambam94]

belichick's military background got the best of him..imo

 

[luuked]

He played zero snaps last night and it’s because he didn’t fit the game plan or Fatricia had “different” packages that didn’t include him...for the entire game.

It really doesnt help you argument if in the middle of a writeup that definitely took some effort you call the DC Fatricia. It is neither clever nor funny and you are just undermining your own posts.

 

[mb6592]

I think it is pretty simple what happened and Mayo has talked about it a few times on QuickSlants.

The captains were informed during a captains meeting with BB that Butler would not start / be benched for whatever occurred. How they distributed that information and why it reached certain players but not others remains unclear.

Agreed, the more you think about it, the more it becomes obvious. Butler made an inexcusable mistake that Belichick (being Belichick) couldn't overlook. And don't be pissed at Belichick. It's his devotion to accountability that separates him from other coaches.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Why would BB care an ounce what Ty Law demands on TwitFace ?

Well off course he doesn't care but he got worked over last night by the philly coaching staff. It's asinine to have your number 2 corner in uniform and not even put him out there for a defensive series and see what he can give you.

 

[sambam94]

Agreed, the more you think about it, the more it becomes obvious. Butler made an inexcusable mistake that Belichick (being Belichick) couldn't overlook. And don't be pissed at Belichick. It's his devotion to accountability that separates him from other coaches.

you don't lose a SB over it..especially since butler is gone anyway.

 

[Chris Stevenson]

The facts are these:

Butler played 97.8% of snaps in the regular season. He played 100% snaps in the two playoff games.

He played the most snaps by any defensive player last year.

He played zero snaps last night and it’s because he didn’t fit the game plan or Fatricia had “different” packages that didn’t include him...for the entire game.

If you actually believe that explanation, then either you’re an absolute imbecile or you take the coaches to be absolute imbeciles.

They benched him for something that had absolutely nothing to do with his ability to play cornerback. Again, a former ProBowl/All Pro corner didn’t play a single snap for what was one of the worst defensive performances in league history. We always make adjustments.

The only question that remains is what Butler could have done that the coaches would rather have blown the chance to win rather than play him.

I agree. I think the excuse of size on the wrs would have been a fine explanation but bb did nothing i suggested.

This is what i had:

Rowe w/help from harmon on jeffery. This did not really occur. Rowe was left alone.

Butler on torrey smith

Gilmore on agoholor

Chung on ertz

Mccourty all over, mix and match and in the box more so on run support

FLowers as your chess piece on clement like glue. His coverage on that incompletion callled a td, was great as were his other heady plays. If mcclellin’s career is over, i like this guy in that role.

 

[Pats1989]

Something is off here. There's something Butler did that had to be inexcusable. I wonder if Kraft has asked BB about this? Because the owner, QB, Gronk, McCourtey, Chung, Harmon, Gilmore, and others deserve an answer. Quite frankly, the fans who shell out big bucks deserve an answer.

The only way to move forward is for BB to explain himself.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

the guy plays 100% of the snaps in the playoffs is dressed but never placed on the field even though he appeared to be the best option to cover agholor......if he dressed, it would be rational to give him a chance at least for a series or drive .... based on the way the defense play, what could have possibly been the reason for that?

I'm tellin ya......something stinks

I would be pissed if I were BB and Butler cleared out his locker before the game, not intending to fly back with the team, but I still play him since he gives you the best opportunity to win. However, why doesn’t BB just healthy scratch him if that were the case?

 

[DaBruinz]

Yepp. Absolutely mind numbing decision. There's got to be something to this story.Otherwise, I want this pos fired. I'm sorry but I do.

Who cares what you want. You're not a Patriots fan despite what you claim.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This is what i saw on pft.com...not sure if it is true but the person did sort of sound like they had good info on it. He did fly out separately....just saying. Maybe found out about it before the game or something..not saying these sre facts, but if true, it would make sense to tilt decision. COuld be a combo of things.

In general, not the coaches best work, that is for sure. Bb/patricia could have been better.

Hate to say it, but bb did the exact opposite of what i was suggesting defensively.

Chung is great but what on earth was he doing on agoholor in man? What was rowe doing on smith schuster up near the line vs pitt? I mean, here is a guy getting a head coaching job and i knew what to do more than he did.

Flying out separately was due to receiving treatment for the flu (we were told)

If true that he emptied out his locker before flying out, the question is.....what triggered that action?

 

[Horace's Ivories]

Bill's on conference call right now

on Butler:
paraphrase: "Already addressed it - I respect his competitiveness. I'm sure he felt he could have helped. In the end I made decision to help the team."

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Source: CBS

Malcolm Butler wasn't the only person shocked by Bill Belichick's decision to bench him for the entirety of Super Bowl LII. Across the field, Eagles coaches and players also couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"After the first series or two. We were like, '[Butler's] not in the game!'" an Eagles assistant told TheMMQB.com's Andy Benoit. "They have 23 [Patrick Chung] in there. That's crazy!'"

Philly's coaching staff already knew that an average New England defense struggled to defend bunch formations and even before learning of Butler's fate, had planned to exploit that on Sunday night. And that task became immeasurably easier with Butler stuck on the sidelines for what Belichick described as strictly a football decision.

According to the Eagles' assistant, the plan was to go after backup cornerback Eric Rowe because "we could get Alshon [Jeffery] out there against him."

And why were the Eagles so confident that Rowe was a liability?

"We had Rowe on our team here in Philly, we knew that was a mismatch," he said.







I don't think I will ever forgive bb for benching butler. Worst decision of his career.

 

[mosi]

Well, I assume that there is no chance Butler comes back to the Patriots and I have a feeling he will spill the beans about what happened. That is assuming he knows, which may not be the case.

 

[RobertWeathers]

If that really happened it would have been out on twitter already. No way something like that would have been contained after he was benched for the SB.

I would tend to think so.

 

[Pats1989]

Who cares what you want. You're not a Patriots fan despite what you claim.

I'm angered at him. He cost this team a SB. Can you possibly believe they don't get a few stops with Butler?

 

[RobertWeathers]

the goose egg health scratch but still in uniform along with the team struggles with what he COULD have helped with makes no sense without an explanation.........BB was simply not forthright....he doesn't owe us that, but all the **** he pulls is great as long as the team is winning in a big way........this team comes back to earth, and buy in will be much harder to come by

Of course but they are winning so I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[Todd Bradley]

Belichick just said on the conference call there was absolutely no reason for benching Butler other than that "it was his decision" and it was "best for the team".

Who still thinks the loss isn't squarely on his shoulders?

 

[mb6592]

you don't lose a SB over it..especially since butler is gone anyway.

Yeah, but, you do. Some people (it seems Belichick included) place honor and commitment to tenets above a Super Bowl win.

"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

 

[RobertWeathers]

If so, Belichick lied when he said it was not disciplinary. That is something butler shouldn’t do, but it could have been addressed after the game.

Is cleaning out your locker violating a team rule. If true then something triggered it which going to my theory led him to sulk/dog practice.