Is this why Malcolm Butler didn't play in the Super Bowl?

It literally doesn’t matter what the reason was at the start of the game. Belichick not reacting to what was happening was the crime.

And yes, I mean crime. Belichick should have served time for that game. That’s a hill I’ll die on.

TheRainMaker said:

What do you mean? Sure seemed like the other way around with his horrible explanation of “not enough packages” nonsense.

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Yea. I dunno. The whole thing is very weird.

Can someone please start a political thread it will be less painful

I wonder if the did had played him. He would maybe had won them the game? Or I hear it was due over to a personality conflict with BB?

Easily one of the worst NFL coaching decisions ever. People still roast Carroll for not running on the one and to me that playcall was way more defensible than not playing Butler.

Can someone point me to the button that will hide this thread?

aluminum seats said:

It literally doesn’t matter what the reason was at the start of the game. Belichick not reacting to what was happening was the crime.

And yes, I mean crime. Belichick should have served time for that game. That’s a hill I’ll die on.

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Every father wants to protect his kids.

ahmed said:

Easily one of the worst NFL coaching decisions ever. People still roast Carroll for not running on the one and to me that playcall was way more defensible than not playing Butler.

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It's inarguably worse. Carroll had to make a decision in 30 seconds, gambled on passing at the 1, a play that resulted in 0 INT's league-wide for that season, while having 3 shots at a TD, and it didn't work out. It was one in a million play by Butler and Browner, to read the play perfectly and execute it flawlessly.

The Super Bowl is around 3 and a half hours long. Belichik didn't play Butler as a starter. Fine. Didn't play him in the first half. Debatable but perhaps understandable. He didn't play him in the third when it was obvious the defense was completely overmached and 3/4 of the secondary was made up of players that were far below starting level let alone SB level. And finally when the Pats at long last took the lead in the 4th and needed one stop to most likely win the game, he still stood vainly, stubbornly firm, ''i'm going to stick to my decision, win or lose.'

JPPT1974 said:

I wonder if the did had played him. He would maybe had won them the game? Or I hear it was due over to a personality conflict with BB?

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It wasn't a personality conflict.

Malcolm admits he was sick most of the week, wasn't focused and wasn't dialed into the game plan.

It was too late in the week to deactivate him and call up another player. They hoped he would come around and improve but it didn't happen.

**** happens.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Playing Rowe as #2, Bademosi as #3 and switching to a heavy amount of 3 safety coverage (Richards) wasn’t risky to the team at all though. I guess playing horrible defensive backs is better than playing a competent defensive back because he might be horrible?

If this is the truth then, once again, Bill Belichick made one of the worst decisions in Super Bowl history. Whitewash it all you want. If it were another coach, you’d still be laughing four years later.

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The reality is the score would have most likely been worse if he played. Naturally, we'll never know because it never happened.

The outcome is not certain.

That's different than certainty in life.

For instance, it's certain you will opine......and it's certain your opinion will be dead on ******ed and celebrated by every other moron on this site.

I would take a sick Butler any day of the week over what they had out there. They get one of those third down stops with him out there, especially the one where Bademosi whiffed on Agholor on 3rd down.

Jordan Richards - 16 snaps
Johnson Bademosi - 11 snaps
Malcolm Butler - 0 snaps

patsfanincleveland said:

The reality is the score would have most likely been worse if he played. Naturally, we'll never know because it never happened.

The outcome is not certain.

That's different than certainty in life.

For instance, it's certain you will opine......and it's certain your opinion will be dead on ******ed and celebrated by every other moron on this site.

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Oh yeah, I'm sure it would have been worse than 41 points, 538 yards, 10-16 3rd down conversion, 2-2 4th down conversion.

Bleedthrough said:

I would take a sick Butler any day of the week over what they had out there. They get one of those third down stops with him out there, especially the one where Bademosi whiffed on Agholor on 3rd down.

Jordan Richards - 16 snaps
Johnson Bademosi - 11 snaps
Malcolm Butler - 0 snaps

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I think if Butler had had a limb amputated he could still have played better than Jordan Richards.

ahmed said:

Easily one of the worst NFL coaching decisions ever. People still roast Carroll for not running on the one and to me that playcall was way more defensible than not playing Butler.

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2 different moronic moments, first was benching Butler, second was zero halftime adjustments. Ok on the first mistake, second mistake is inexcusable when you know it's not working at halftime.

Simpelton said:

I buy it. Combine the stress of the contract situation with a bad flu and Bill's cutthroat personality and I can completely understand deciding that Butler wasn't their best chance to win the game that day.

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Sure. But it doesn't change the fact that BB made an awful decision that cost us the game. Yeah maybe he thought he could put all DBs in different positions, and they are all pros and they will handle it and manage, and if he had been right we'd have praised him and called him a genius not to put Butler on the field when he had missed practice from sickness etc, but since the product BB put on the field was so awful, he gets the blame as well. And clearly the blame lies with BB. He fcked up and cost us the Superbowl.

DropKickFlutie said:

2 different moronic moments, first was benching Butler, second was zero halftime adjustments. Ok on the first mistake, second mistake is inexcusable when you know it's not working at halftime.

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Yes, even if the original judgment was that without Butler they would be fine, but to make no adjustments? At that point it was only BB's ego talking. Maybe Butler thought no way in hell they'd bench him after a bad week of practice as it will cost them the game and told BB that. And BB showed him who is boss, and benched his ass even if it DID cost him the Superbowl. I can totally see that happening.

PATSYLICIOUS said:

Then why dress him? Wasted roster spot if thats the case. Couldn’t pluck another garbage db like bademosi / richards off the street to ‘practice well ‘ and have ready like poteat in 04 for depth? Either way you look at it the staff screwed the pooch, Someone gets sick for a week out of 2 and thats the result?

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That's a great observation as well. If he was being disciplined for not taking his reduced role well (which was prompted by him missing practice time due to sickness) then why dress him at all and waste a roster spot. I mean things could not have gone worse for the secondary than they actually did, and if we're not going to play him in even that scenario, then why was he dressed for the game.

Sicilian said:

I look forward to a lot of new and exciting opinions on this topic with this new information.

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Don't be an ass. This article the OP posted clearly has some new information.

patsfanincleveland said:

The reality is the score would have most likely been worse if he played. Naturally, we'll never know because it never happened.

The outcome is not certain.

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The reality is Deflategate would have most likely been worse if Goodell weren’t commissioner. Naturally, we’ll never know because it never happened.

The outcome is not certain.

Ring 6 said:

Had to dress him
in case of injury.

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one could argue what we saw in the first half was essentially an injury. It looked like 10 on 11, and only got worse