Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

[ausbacker]

I'm not perturbed by the Butler benching but I am still wondering why Gilmore wasn't on Jeffrey from the get-go.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm not perturbed by the Butler benching but I am still wondering why Gilmore wasn't on Jeffrey from the get-go.

In the past, BB has used the #2 and #3 CB on #1 WR and #1CB on #2 WR approach. That might have been the thinking.

 

[Huckleberry1]

It would've leaked by now if it were something so egregious like you're assuming.

Seems like most people are open to just about any possibility that involves Butler being at fault - but no way could it possibly be a Belichick screw-up.

Nothing could be further from The truth. People here have trashed and continue to trash Belichick over this, and they have refused to accept that Butler did things to precipitate it,

 

[TBR]

It did leak. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.

Most people also refuse to believe Butler screwed up.

No, it didn't. Nothing that has the slightest bit of credibility has leaked. Speculation and vague comments from anonymous players (like the title) aren't leaks of what Butler egregiously did.

If it was so egregious and worthy of a full game benching, then he shouldn't have been activated for the game. I'm not dismissing the possibility that Butler "did something" (whatever that may be). Aside from a shortlist of things that would be blatantly illegal, I don't care and it shouldn't affect football.

 

[Ring 6]

No, it didn't. Nothing that has the slightest bit of credibility has leaked. Speculation and vague comments from panonymous layers (like the title) aren't leaks of what Butler egregiously did.

If it was so egregious and worthy of a full game benching, then he shouldn't have been activated for the game. I'm not dismissing the possibility that Butler "did something" (whatever that may be). Aside from a shortlist of things that would be blatantly illegal, I don't care and it shouldn't affect football.

I’ve said almost since day 1 it’s kinda clear to me. Butler showed up late and sick and wasn’t focused or on board in practice. That led to him being demoted from cb2 to cb3. When informed Of this on game day he had a melt down and belichick decided he wasn’t prepared to play and bb ruled him out.

 

[RobertWeathers]

No, it didn't. Nothing that has the slightest bit of credibility has leaked. Speculation and vague comments from anonymous players (like the title) aren't leaks of what Butler egregiously did.

If it was so egregious and worthy of a full game benching, then he shouldn't have been activated for the game. I'm not dismissing the possibility that Butler "did something" (whatever that may be). Aside from a shortlist of things that would be blatantly illegal, I don't care and it shouldn't affect football.

Define "credible" in today's media.

Butler admitted he wasn't locked in. That is credible.

He wasn't ready to play. Thats it. Nothing more.

Not sure what else you want BB to do different than what he has for the past 18 years?

 

[lancerman]

People have said BB threw the game because Butler committed egregious acts that ran counter to the Patriot Way.

Nobody knows that Butler committed any act besides getting sick. This is why I can’t stand this discussion. If it’s negative about Butler you’re willing to believe a no name dope on twitter, but if it’s avout Belichick no source is good enough

 

[lancerman]

If only BB hadn't stubbornly kept Malcolm Butler on the bench ...
If only Jon Jones hadn't gotten hurt ...
If Branch's play hadn't fallen off a cliff ...
If Harris or Harrison or RJF had more gas left in their respective tanks ...
If Hightower, McClellin, Valentine or Rivers hadn't been on IR ...
If only Wise, Lee, Adam Butler and Marquis Flowers had more experience ...
If Long hadn't pre-emptively jumped ship ..
If Nink hadn't retired ...
If it had been Richards instead of Langi involved in a car accident ...

People will always search for that one, easily-isolated factor that they're absolutely certain would have made a night-and-day difference in an outcome.

Meh. It is what it is.

The bottom line for me is that BB and Patricia simply didn't have the horses to defeat the Philly offense that showed up that day, no matter which horses they brought out of the barn or how they lined them up.

A lot of that’s very different from “if only he put in the defensive player he had trusted to play the most snaps all year who had been at points over the last two years our number one corner, which would have allowed the rest of the secondary to play on position”.

 

[lancerman]

The outcome could've been worse with Wentz.

It really is unlikely that Wentz plays better. Foles had an all time great playoff run, elite QB’s like Rodgers and even Brady don’t play at that high a level in the post season that often

 

[IcyPatriot]

 

[TBR]

Define "credible" in today's media.

Butler admitted he wasn't locked in. That is credible.

He wasn't ready to play. Thats it. Nothing more.

Not sure what else you want BB to do different than what he has for the past 18 years?

That's the "leak" you're referring to?

Did Belichick somehow psychologically evaluate Butler prior to the game? How does he deem a player to be "locked in" or not?

 

[Love The Drake]

Now that he got paid hes like ***ante Samuel

 

[TheRainMaker]

The Texans offer is laughable. 1 year? Lol.

It really is unlikely that Wentz plays better. Foles had an all time great playoff run, elite QB’s like Rodgers and even Brady don’t play at that high a level in the post season that often

The Vikings and Pats he played lights out but he didn't exactly light up the score board against the Falcons and was one TD catch away from being eliminated. The Pats were leaving guys so wide open during that game you could've played well at QB. The one pass in particular that set the tone for the game was that 3rd down conversion in the 1st quarter where Alshon Jeffrey broke Eric Rowe's ankles by going over the middle than stopping and going back towards the sidelines. That was ridiculous. Then when he blew right past Rowe at the LOS and caught that TD pass. Alshon Jeffrey looked like Randy Moss.

 

[MassPats38]

Nobody knows that Butler committed any act besides getting sick. This is why I can’t stand this discussion. If it’s negative about Butler you’re willing to believe a no name dope on twitter, but if it’s avout Belichick no source is good enough

The alternative would appear to be Belichick was so petty he held Butler out as the better option and forfeited a championship? For a guy who names his boat after the number of rings he has, which makes more sense to you after his lengthy career as a head coach?

People conveniently forget that this same crappy Iggles offense ripped the Vikings, viewed in many respects as a better defense than the Pats, to shreds in a 38-7 beatdown. But it seems some fans here truly believe Butler would have provided the magic element in the secondary to stop that pathetic offense that rang up 38 on the Vikings. That is offered without clue one as to Butler's condition, mental or physical, and how he would have been a better option than anyone else on the field that particular day.

Butler, as a competitor, better believe he is better than other cornerbacks on the field. His angry post-game statement was something to the effect of "they lost faith in me." If they played him all year, then what precisely would cause the team to need faith in him for this one game? You need faith if what you are seeing and measuring won't justify the conclusion. After 18 games and hundreds of snaps, what more did the Pats need to see or measure to know the answer to that question?

 

[RayClay]

It really is unlikely that Wentz plays better. Foles had an all time great playoff run, elite QB’s like Rodgers and even Brady don’t play at that high a level in the post season that often

Both very capable facing zero pressure. Pats had zero pressure

 

[Wozzy]

The truth is almost never as good as the lie, because the lie has no limits.

Butler was "sick" or a malcontent over money, or partying too much, or simply checked out until somebody paid him. The bottom line is we played our taller, faster, bigger, stronger corners against Philly's bigger, faster, taller, stronger receivers. Our corners in that game didn't "suck," we lost because our front 7 was decimated by injury, we lost at the line of scrimmage.

Put your big boy pants on and move on to 2018, 2 Super Bowl victories in 3 attempts in the last 4 years doesn't suck. I don't care what the local media says, they're desperate for attention.

Meanwhile Philly just won their first Lombardi ever, their first championship since pre-merger 1960 when they were actually playing Vince Lombardi... 57 years.

If you're biggest "problem" is tension, oh well... Gronk wants incentives added to his deal and is probably entitled to them. Brady wants Gronk... the draft is in a month, can't get here fast enough IMO.

 

[MainePatsFan26]

(Not looking to rehash the whole thing -- enough deceased equines have been flogged already -- just passing along info.)

The question is could have a 1/2 ready Malcolm been better than Badman and Richards?

Two deceased equines could have played better on defense than Badman and Richards.

 

[Wozzy]

Two deceased equines could have played better on defense than Badman and Richards.

So if our 5th corner and 3rd strong safety played better they would have made up for the enormous disparity in depth, talent and mass between the Philadelphia offensive front and New England's injury ravaged defensive front?

We played our best, it didn't matter, the Eagles were the better team. Mainly because they were healthy.

Leading up to the Super Bowl Butler was easily our weakest defender in the playoffs, he played like dog meat, in his own words.

Malcolm Butler would have been a fart in a hurricane against that offense.

 

[luuked]

How come people make excuses for all the Pats injuries or Butler not playing but don't acknowledge that Philly didn't have their best player on the field (Carson Wentz)?

Wentz not being on the field didn't matter at all.

The Eagles staff designed a hell of plan on offense and Foles hit all of the throws whether they were short, intermediate or deep. Wentz could not have played any better because apart from the tipped INT Foles played close to a perfect game.

 

[luuked]

What about Gimore And Rowe at db with Mccourty in the nickel Chung and Harmon at safety
Takes Richards and Badenosi off the field.

Richards would have played essentially the same amount of snaps even then. He has a specific role in particular packages that are not affected by whatever the base defense for a game is. I don't understand how often this needs to be said.