Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

[VectorPrime]

My rage if properly harnessed could power a small town.

 

[Nehalem]

With all of these rumors about Butler's behavior, perhaps Belichick thought he would get a repeat of Asante Samuel in 2007? No need to bring up the specifics, but I remember Jonathan Kraft going way outside of his typical zone and basically saying that Samuel was the reason the Patriots lost SB42. Samuel was also thought to be disgruntled and playing his last game in a Pats uniform. I'm wondering if Belichick just lost all his faith in Butler but kept him on the sidelines in case of injury, in which case he would have no choice but to roll the dice.

That still doesn't give a good reason for not putting Butler in after watching that abomination of a defense all game, but it could explain why he was active. Basically he was still eligible to play in Belichick's eyes, but only in an emergency situation.

The Patriots allowed 17 points in SB42. That is the lowest amount of a SB winner in the last 40 years.

If Butler plays half as good as Samuels we win.

 

[mosi]

It wasn't even weed, which is a safe and well known drug. It was some synthetic crap marketed as weed. That stuff is totally unsafe and not well studied.

Yeah, but he did not miss a meeting because of it, so it is all good right?

 

[Steve102]

Because Bill's not an idiot and it doesn't take a genius to notice, "Hey, that one guy I put in sucks; maybe I should pull him and put in this superior guy suited up on the sideline who's played the position all season?" Honestly, if I didn't know better, the only reasonable explanation for such unprecedented ineptitude was that Bill was trying to lose the game.

Ok, so you went there.

In 1996, Parcells left after the Super Bowl to take the Jests job. There are those that believe that he did not give the Patriots, and by extension, RKK his best effort to win that game, because he was sore about having to draft Terry Glenn, who was at the top of his draft board. He wanted to go off the board, rendering his entire draft system useless, and RKK called him on it, which gave us the whole derogatory "she" comment regarding Glenn and, later on, the "you want me to cook the dinner, then let me buy the groceries" comment.

So this year, with have the Wickersham piece, where BB is sore that he's forced to trade Jimmy G, so he trades him for a bag of magic beans (don't kill me for the analogy, I know a 2nd can be a pretty good player), when he maybe could have gotten a higher pick elsewhere. Being PO'd about it, BB, cut from the Parcellian cloth, looks for a way to make a football decision to eff the team to deny RKK the championship. So an opportunity presents itself thru MB's transgression of missed charter/cleaned out locker/ late to Minneapolis/ weed-after-curfew-with-law-enforcement-involvement or (insert other rumor here), and he benches Butler, causing everyone else to move around, play essentially out of position, and they can't stop the Eagles once. They go on to lose the game, and, once again, RKK's meddling in football affairs causes them to lose a Super Bowl. BB leaves town, leaving RKK with no coaching staff, a mess in the locker room, and an old man for a QB.

Or... MB broke team rules, BB has to bench him. Chaos ensues as the staff has to scramble to repair the damage last minute, and they lose.

I have a problem with all my scenarios proposed. BB coached LT for years, and we know LT was a mess and everyone covered for him. Different times, to be sure, but still, they covered for him. The plain old benching doesn't make sense to me either, as BB is the king of adjustments. Why not simply say, ya, I know we said this guy is benched, but we know he's leaving after tonight. Let's get his ass in the game and try to win it, and then ship him.

I dunno. It's a mess, and I don't know how they are gonna fix this.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Also don't forget about the report of Butler being treated for flu-like symptoms Sunday night.. For some reason when I read that just something didn't sit right.

Like why would you have a guy with flu like symptoms fly on the same plane as the rest of the team, especially with the memories of AFCCG 2006 to haunt them??? Sounds like there was something else going on earlier that came to a head last night...

 

[mb6592]

Bademosi played fine other than that miss on 3rd down where he sort of overran the play. Again, gilmore should have been on agoholor. Clearly, he is heir best wr, as i kept trying to say all week. You put your best man cover guy on their best all around wr who runs all the routes.

No one on defense "played fine" with the exception of Gilmore and maybe Harrison.

 

[JFK]

If the stories are true, which they probably are because Browner should have inside sources, (would be strange for him to go off rumors) then Butler was selfish. I would have benched Butler until it became obvious the defense was struggling.
Brady and seven rings probably clouded BB’s judgment. A HC without any SB victories would have acted differently.

 

[GorBelSer]

Whatever was the reason for benching, the whole situation was handled very poorly. Starting CB was unaware that he was starting until it was the time to hit the field, other starting CB did not know game plan does not include his usual sidekick. It is ludicrous to think such a development just minutes before the kickoff had no effect on the team.

 

[chasa]

can someone make a gif of Zorg regarding ZERO snaps ZERO wins.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Ok, so you went there.

In 1996, Parcells left after the Super Bowl to take the Jests job. There are those that believe that he did not give the Patriots, and by extension, RKK his best effort to win that game, because he was sore about having to draft Terry Glenn, who was at the top of his draft board. He wanted to go off the board, rendering his entire draft system useless, and RKK called him on it, which gave us the whole derogatory "she" comment regarding Glenn and, later on, the "you want me to cook the dinner, then let me buy the groceries" comment.

So this year, with have the Wickersham piece, where BB is sore that he's forced to trade Jimmy G, so he trades him for a bag of magic beans (don't kill me for the analogy, I know a 2nd can be a pretty good player), when he maybe could have gotten a higher pick elsewhere. Being PO'd about it, BB, cut from the Parcellian cloth, looks for a way to make a football decision to eff the team to deny RKK the championship. So an opportunity presents itself thru MB's transgression of missed charter/cleaned out locker/ late to Minneapolis/ weed-after-curfew-with-law-enforcement-involvement or (insert other rumor here), and he benches Butler, causing everyone else to move around, play essentially out of position, and they can't stop the Eagles once. They go on to lose the game, and, once again, RKK's meddling in football affairs causes them to lose a Super Bowl. BB leaves town, leaving RKK with no coaching staff, a mess in the locker room, and an old man for a QB.

Or... MB broke team rules, BB has to bench him. Chaos ensues as the staff has to scramble to repair the damage last minute, and they lose.

I have a problem with all my scenarios proposed. BB coached LT for years, and we know LT was a mess and everyone covered for him. Different times, to be sure, but still, they covered for him. The plain old benching doesn't make sense to me either, as BB is the king of adjustments. Why not simply say, ya, I know we said this guy is benched, but we know he's leaving after tonight. Let's get his ass in the game and try to win it, and then ship him.

I dunno. It's a mess, and I don't know how they are gonna fix this.

While I think Wickersham's article was complete fiction and troll reporting, the above is a low possibility scenario.

If Belichick really did feel he was over-written on Jimmy G thus leading to the trade, then last week's article where the Krafts said Brady can stay as long as he wants, would have been the final nail. Also no idea about the Gilmore or Gillislee signings but who knows who actually wanted Gilmore vs wanting Butler.

 

[Steve102]

Ok let’s say it’s weed. I’ll say again, CJ was caught nude out of his mind high off weed in a police station parking lot and still played snaps in a playoff game. If he got zero snaps in the SB because of weed is absolute garbage.

In the SB, you're punishing the entire team.........he's gone after the game anyway.....benching him ONLY served to weaken the team as a whole

Chandler Jones staggered into a police station in his underwear.......still played

Chandler bought synthetic garbage that, at the time, you could buy at Cumby's. It wasn't illegal. dumb, but not illegal.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Bench him the first half and bring him back for the second half. This defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. We get some stops with butler in the game.

 

[TBR]

If the stories are true, which they probably are because Browner should have inside sources, (would be strange for him to go off rumors) then Butler was selfish. I would have benched Butler until it became obvious the defense was struggling.
Brady and seven rings probably clouded BB’s judgment. A HC without any SB victories would have acted differently.

For the sake of debate, let's assume it's true. Is it a stupid mistake to smoke weed and/or be late? Absolutely. But did Butler's actions directly hurt the team? No. They really didn't.

Does Bill benching Butler while refusing to play him despite the D struggling mightily, hurt the team? Yes. Absolutely.

Do abstract disciplinary rules win games? No. Game planning, scheming and putting your best players out on the field wins you games. Something Bill failed to do.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Bench him the first half and bring him back for the second half. This defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. We get some stops with butler in the game.

Yes. Play your #1 cornerback, best secondary tackler, team leader in pass deflections in Malcolm Butler and the Patriots win this game after Brady re-takes the lead at 33-32.

.

 

[JackBauer]

Play your #1 cornerback

They did

 

[Chris Stevenson]

but that's not putting the team in the best position to win like BB says

Sure it is...not playing favorites is leadership, consistency and fair. A lot has changed since sb 49.

Some of you need to realize this. If even half of the rumors are true, that is on butler just like it was on moneygrabbing, big ego one trick pony chandler jones (i called that trade happening even before the synepthetic weed stupidity) and it is why jamie collins got dealt, or moss for that matter or why bb walked from welker, so wisely so.

At some point, the player has to stay centered. Sounds like this was a pins and needles thing since bb tried to deal him to the saints.

 

[Chris Stevenson]

They did

Yep. Just on the wrong guy.

 

[Chris Stevenson]

Don't go the Butler vs Jones angle because no-one knows enough.


Jones could have come in apologized profusely to Kraft, Belichick, teammates and coaches and did his job the rest of the week in practice.

Butler may not have apologized and went on being pissy about it and half assed it in practice


Also don't forget about the report of Butler being treated for flu-like symptoms Sunday night.. For some reason when I read that just something didn't sit right.

Word is he blew up on the coaches like moss did on o’brien down in miami in week 4 of 2010.

 

[alvinnf]

BB thought he could beat Philly without Malcolm Butler, he was wrong!!

 

[Chris Stevenson]

Again, then Bill has lost his mind power-tripping. You don't forfeit a Super Bowl in order to discipline one player, unless that player has committed some egregious crime. And it obviously wasn't egregious, considering Butler was let on the field on special teams.

Sounds awesome, tony mazz. Or, are you felger?