Patriots Rumor Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

[bormio]

Please lock this thread now

 

[Kontradiction]

1. Devin McCourty playing in the box.
2. Eric Rowe playing 90+% of the snaps.
3. Patrick Chung covering a faster, shiftier wideout in Agholor in man.
4. Jordan Richards playing nearly a quarter of the defensive snaps, including late in the game.

All, in one way or another, products borne out of necessity because Butler wasn't on the field. Anyone that called for any of that prior to the Super Bowl, please make yourselves known and include the posts in which you called for any of those.

 

[Kontradiction]

Please lock this thread now

No. We're almost to 6,000 posts.

 

[aluminum seats]

I think it was a match up reason.

Really?

Tony, if you honestly think it was a match up reason, can we agree that Belichick massively effed up not at least trying play to Butler in the second half?

 

[Kontradiction]

6,000.

 

[Kontradiction]

The point was that BB and or MP felt that the personnel they had on the field was better without Butler for whatever reason.

I think it was a match up reason. I think they didn't use Butler because Rowe was better in practice and a better matchup for their receivers. Replacing Richards with Butler schematically hurts the already hurting run defense. I don't think that saves the game.

13 to go.

If they thought that their variation of the Big Nickel was a good match-up for Philly after seeing what the Chiefs did to it in Week 1, maybe it might be time to have BB's mental faculties checked out.

 

[ralmat55]

Malcolm didn’t play well throughout most of the 2017 season. I was at the Tennessee playoff game, and he was the 4th best CB who played meaningful minutes behind Gilmore, Rowe and J. Jones who was hurt in that game.

When Jones was put on IR. They did not activate another CB even though they had 2 on PS all season long.

Aside from gross insubordination of which we would have heard about by now, there was NO good reason for Butler to be on the sidelines when doing so caused inferior players to take snaps and force other players to play out of position.

Why do it at the last minute? This is something that’s handled on a Friday afternoon after practice not after the team has come out of tunnel. Belichick three a neutron grenade on his sideline with the timing. One of the tenets of the Patriot way is to not make a distraction. In this case, the Coach sure didn’t practice what he preaches.

When I rewatched the game, it was noticeable that the Eagles attacked the mismatches caused by Chung and McCourty being out of position unmercifully in the 2nd half on 3rd down and the 4th down that kept their game-winning drive going. Stopping 1 or 2 of those conversions would have meant a Patriots win. I have no doubt in my mind.

Putting all the pieces together, I believe Butler’s benching had nothing to do with him per se. He was just a pawn used by his Coach to flip a big middle finger to his owner. “You can tell me who’s on the team but you can’t tell me who to play”

“Surely we must look past this with all Belichick ‘s done for our team “. Nonsense! There are acts so egregious that they cast a pall on a relationship that can never be healed. Whether it was a monumental lapse in competence or character it cost my favorite team of 40+ years a championship, and it will not be forgiven.

 

[Joey007]

I don’t know what else there is to accomplish here, boys. We did it, topped 6,000.

It’ll take Bill benching Tom Brady for this thread record to be beat.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

In summary, the defense lost one of its regular players and the whole defense went into a four-hour long group depression whereby no one knew how to play anymore. The offense lost its #1 receiver who the game plan was clearly built around and yet adjusted to set offensive SB records.

 

[Ring 6]

Malcolm didn’t play well throughout most of the 2017 season. I was at the Tennessee playoff game, and he was the 4th best CB who played meaningful minutes behind Gilmore, Rowe and J. Jones who was hurt in that game.

When Jones was put on IR. They did not activate another CB even though they had 2 on PS all season long.

Aside from gross insubordination of which we would have heard about by now, there was NO good reason for Butler to be on the sidelines when doing so caused inferior players to take snaps and force other players to play out of position.

You just said he was the 4th best corner. It wouldn’t take gross subordination to drop him to 3rd in the depth chart. It would just take practicing like crap and not getting the game plan, which he admitted to.

Why do it at the last minute? This is something that’s handled on a Friday afternoon after practice not after the team has come out of tunnel.

McCourty: “ we all knew he wasn’t starting”

Belichick three a neutron grenade on his sideline with the timing. One of the tenets of the Patriot way is to not make a distraction. In this case, the Coach sure didn’t practice what he preaches.

I’m pretty sure personal decisions, lineups, roles are always finalized after warmups when inactives are named.
Based upon practice and both butlers and McCourty comments this was no surprise.
Has butler handled it like a professional perhaps he could have been trusted to be the #3 corner when one was needed.

When I rewatched the game, it was noticeable that the Eagles attacked the mismatches caused by Chung and McCourty being out of position unmercifully in the 2nd half on 3rd down and the 4th down that kept their game-winning drive going. Stopping 1 or 2 of those conversions would have meant a Patriots win. I have no doubt in my mind.

First of all, no it’s not. And secondly they were not out of position. They played the same positions in big nickel and 4 safety dime all
season long.

Putting all the pieces together, I believe Butler’s benching had nothing to do with him per se. He was just a pawn used by his Coach to flip a big middle finger to his owner. “You can tell me who’s on the team but you can’t tell me who to play”

There is absolutely not a shred of evidence that Belichick has any reason whatsoever to have any ill will toward his owner, much less enough to throw a game.
Kraft leaves football to Belichick. Belichick is smart enough to know that Brady is the GOAT and currently the best player in the NFL. It is no one’s fault that the only ways to keep Garoppolo were to franchise him which was impossible or get him to resign as a backup which he would not do. Belichick trades jimmy because it was the right thing to do not because of some demented conspiracy theory.

“Surely we must look past this with all Belichick ‘s done for our team “. Nonsense! There are acts so egregious that they cast a pall on a relationship that can never be healed.

You are off the deep end here buddy.

Whether it was a monumental lapse in competence or character it cost my favorite team of 40+ years a championship, and it will not be forgiven.

No it was demote an underperforming and unprepared player to give yourself a better chance to win, then recognize when he melted down before the game he wasn’t prepared to play at all.
It was a hand dealt to Belichick not created by him.

 

[signbabybrady]

Malcolm didn’t play well throughout most of the 2017 season. I was at the Tennessee playoff game, and he was the 4th best CB who played meaningful minutes behind Gilmore, Rowe and J. Jones who was hurt in that game.

When Jones was put on IR. They did not activate another CB even though they had 2 on PS all season long.

Aside from gross insubordination of which we would have heard about by now, there was NO good reason for Butler to be on the sidelines when doing so caused inferior players to take snaps and force other players to play out of position.

Why do it at the last minute? This is something that’s handled on a Friday afternoon after practice not after the team has come out of tunnel. Belichick three a neutron grenade on his sideline with the timing. One of the tenets of the Patriot way is to not make a distraction. In this case, the Coach sure didn’t practice what he preaches.

When I rewatched the game, it was noticeable that the Eagles attacked the mismatches caused by Chung and McCourty being out of position unmercifully in the 2nd half on 3rd down and the 4th down that kept their game-winning drive going. Stopping 1 or 2 of those conversions would have meant a Patriots win. I have no doubt in my mind.

Putting all the pieces together, I believe Butler’s benching had nothing to do with him per se. He was just a pawn used by his Coach to flip a big middle finger to his owner. “You can tell me who’s on the team but you can’t tell me who to play”

“Surely we must look past this with all Belichick ‘s done for our team “. Nonsense! There are acts so egregious that they cast a pall on a relationship that can never be healed. Whether it was a monumental lapse in competence or character it cost my favorite team of 40+ years a championship, and it will not be forgiven.

Well there's that or maybe Butler actually did something to deserve his benching.

If your insane narrative were true why wouldn't Kraft have fired him?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Putting all the pieces together, I believe Butler’s benching had nothing to do with him per se. He was just a pawn used by his Coach to flip a big middle finger to his owner. “You can tell me who’s on the team but you can’t tell me who to play”

You're on whatever Chandler Jones was on before he started wandering around half-naked during a playoff week.

 

[Ring 6]

Well there's that or maybe Butler actually did something to deserve his benching.

If your insane narrative were true why wouldn't Kraft have fired him?

If Belichick was so angry that it would lead him to dishonor the game, pee on everything he worked for and tarnish his legacy by throwing a game why didnt he just quit?
Why is he still here?

 

[Kontradiction]

Malcolm didn’t play well throughout most of the 2017 season. I was at the Tennessee playoff game, and he was the 4th best CB who played meaningful minutes behind Gilmore, Rowe and J. Jones who was hurt in that game.

When Jones was put on IR. They did not activate another CB even though they had 2 on PS all season long.

Aside from gross insubordination of which we would have heard about by now, there was NO good reason for Butler to be on the sidelines when doing so caused inferior players to take snaps and force other players to play out of position.

Why do it at the last minute? This is something that’s handled on a Friday afternoon after practice not after the team has come out of tunnel. Belichick three a neutron grenade on his sideline with the timing. One of the tenets of the Patriot way is to not make a distraction. In this case, the Coach sure didn’t practice what he preaches.

When I rewatched the game, it was noticeable that the Eagles attacked the mismatches caused by Chung and McCourty being out of position unmercifully in the 2nd half on 3rd down and the 4th down that kept their game-winning drive going. Stopping 1 or 2 of those conversions would have meant a Patriots win. I have no doubt in my mind.

Putting all the pieces together, I believe Butler’s benching had nothing to do with him per se. He was just a pawn used by his Coach to flip a big middle finger to his owner. “You can tell me who’s on the team but you can’t tell me who to play”

“Surely we must look past this with all Belichick ‘s done for our team “. Nonsense! There are acts so egregious that they cast a pall on a relationship that can never be healed. Whether it was a monumental lapse in competence or character it cost my favorite team of 40+ years a championship, and it will not be forgiven.

You were doing well up until the last two paragraphs and then... good God.

 

[Tony2046]

That was after the Patriots went into damage control. The initial reactions after the game by players like Rowe (who started in his place and went on to have a disastrous first two series) were much different. There are very few hypotheticals that anyone can come up with that would justify weakening the secondary (when the defensive front was already a massive question mark) for the entirety of the game that don't also include simply not dressing Butler at all. It was a huge mistake by the GOAT head coach and pivoting back to past accomplishments is irrelevant and an intellectually lazy way to defend him. Let's just admit it was a mistake with what we know right now and move along.

McCourty said and still maintains that he and the defense knew Butler wasn't starting. He later went on to clarify that it had nothing to do with any curfew, or disciplinary reasons. Was it matchup reasons or practice performance reasons or both?

Lazy? Who are we talking about Jeff Fisher? WTF?? Bringing up his past accomplishments wasn't to excuse any mistakes.

"Weakening the secondary when the defensive front was already a massive question mark"? That's why I think Richards played over Butler to strengthen the front. Otherwise you're further weakening the defensive front. Or not?

If they put Butler in do the Eagles adjust? Most certainly. Does having Butler in there change the outcome? I don't know. Do I wish he had played? Absolutely but I was also screaming at the TV at the end of SB 49 to call a timeout.

Trusting that BB put what he thought was the best personnel on the field because of his past accomplishments is not Lazy rather it means you'll have to come up with a better reason to vilify or accuse him of "feeding his ego" or "sabotaging" or "throwing the game" before I'll buy in.

Right now, without knowing the reason, I'll just trust that BB tried to win the game. If something comes out later I'll reevaluate my position.

 

[Tony2046]

Really?

Tony, if you honestly think it was a match up reason, can we agree that Belichick massively effed up not at least trying play to Butler in the second half?

Really. I'd put money on it. Maybe BB thought the defense would adapt to the game as it progressed or would eventually catch a break but it didn't happen. I don't know.

I don't think BB benched Butler because of an ego, or to sabotage or to throw the game. I think he and MP thought they had the best personnel on the field to get the job done matchup wise. Turns out they didn't have enough.

Mistake or out manned? The same team that ripped through an elite Minnesota defense.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Mega mega mega thread!!!

 

[Tunescribe]

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[signbabybrady]

This thread has gone from suck to blow.