Content Post Dear Bill - Thanks for Giving Away the Super Bowl.

[sieglo]

When NE was getting shredded by the Seahawks offense, NE adjusted by benching Arrington, bringing in Butler, and changing who Browner was covering.

In this game, they were getting shredded even worse, and yet the coaching staff decided to do nothing, even though Butler was dressed and ready to go. If you're not going to use him under the most extreme circumstances, why dress him at all?

I am concerned that the more Belichick realized he needed Butler, the more opposed to playing him he became. And that is ****ed up.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Look- All I have been saying since 6am is BB felt Malcolm could not be trusted to execute the game plan on any level and putting him in would have completely run counter to the very core the team's winning culture is built on.

The pats did nothing on Saturday except have a walkthrough practice. Why would Bill all of sudden wake up and decide to bench Butler, without discussing this with Malcolm or the rest of the team? Why did he have Patricia tell Butler shortly before kick off that he was being benched? I saw Butler during warm ups on TV and he looked happy and ready to go. Then next thing you know he’s crying during the national anthem. If you are ok with how this all went down, you have much more empathy for BB than I do. Obviously something happened Saturday night, which sounds like a curfew (maybe weed) issue. When Bill found out about in the morning he made his decision.

 

[SVN]

Fans aren’t questioning how it was handled, they have been blaming Belichick and even calling for his head. He’s been getting killed and Butler, whose behavior led to the issue, is being given a total pass. Some have even said that they don’t care if Butler hit a coach, he still should ha e played. I .e..there is nothing he could have done they wouldn’t excuse.

Do you really rationally think BB would play him even that ST snap if butler hit a coach. Yeah maybe he did but logically thinking the chances of that are low, do you agree ?Otherwise he wouldve been sent home if you think you know BB is who he is

 

[Simpelton]

He was healthy enough to suit up.

That just means that they were at least prepared to use him in a situation where they literally had no choice.

 

[Huckleberry1]

And they informed him before the anthem that they lost faith in him so just stand here and watch us win without you ? I just cant wrap around the fact this was handled, playing butler or otherwise.

I think that reflects the fact that they really wanted to believe in him but couldn’t anymore. Again, that’s Butler's fault, not those who had placed so much faith in him.

It’s oretty clear that it was Butler who forced this issue, not the coaches.

 

[SVN]

Do we even know that Butler was healthy?

Healtheir to stand on the sideline for sure.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Do you really rationally think BB would play him even that ST snap if butler hit a coach. Yeah maybe he did but logically thinking the chances of that are low, do you agree ?Otherwise he wouldve been sent home if you think you know BB is who he is

No, I’m telling you how far gone some of these people are in excusing Butler.

 

[chasa]

Great post.

Look- All I have been saying since 6am is BB felt Malcolm could not be trusted to execute the game plan on any level and putting him in would have completely run counter to the very core the team's winning culture is built on.

As you know BB doesn't give a **** what people think or feel or what their emotions are. He does not think factoring in emotions or feelings is part of the core when determining what helps you win.

This suggestion by you means that Malcolm butler had to have been severely, I'm talking he was in the locker room snorting coke, tripping ****ing balls, level of out of it to not be able to execute the defense he had played 98% of the snaps of for the entire season.

That's what is blowing peoples minds here.

1.) bill refuses to say why butler didn't play a single snap, other then to say because it wasn't disciplinary

2.) Butler player ZERO snaps. which means butler, who was healthy, and active, was the FOURTH string emergancy only DB

3.) Bill didn't give butler or the team a reason for why he was benched.

4.) Benching a starter right before the game, and not telling anyone why must have caused at least SOME confusion on the defensive side of things "hey why isn't butler playing?" "dunno ask coach" "packages" "okay but like im kind of tired can i come out for a couple of plays and catch my breath" "sure send in the third string safety to take over for CB2."

Winning culture's key ingredient is in it's name WINNING. Butler WINS superbowls.

You're telling me one week of practice leading up to the superbowl was enough to erase 4 years worth of trust and effort the coaching staff had in him?

REALLY?

they trusted him to play 98% of the seasons snaps, Every snap in the playoffs, but suddenly he's not good enough to play third string in the superbowl?

You're telling me he wasn't good enough to cover the 4 snaps that rowe sat out?

 

[RobertWeathers]

If Butler really was not part of a defensive game plan, under no circumstances, he should not have been on the sideline.

A reasonable argument. I think Bill was trying to be calculated not trying to cause too much of a rukus. Perhaps he tried to keep the Malcolm situation under the radar as much as possible. I don't know. Criticizing him for how he handled it is reasonable.

That one ST snap could have been played by somebody else.

It might have been a situation where they didn't want to risk an injury to a key player on the D so they put Malcolm in. I don't know.

If you truly believe a guy is not ready for his job, you wont send him in with the game on the line even if another player goes down.

Maybe they felt OK with him filling in on a mindless ST play. I don't know.

You won`t suit him up and let his permanent presence on the bench make a negative impact on the rest of the team.

I don't think his presence or lack thereof caused an emotional disturbance enough to throw the whole team off and lose the game. We can agree that Malcolm NOT playing lowered the overall talent level on the field.

Nobody knows what exactly happened in the days leading up to the game but there was no reason to humiliate Butler by sending him to the warmups, then subbing him just minutes before the kickoff.

Exactly. No one knows. For all we know Malcolm flew off the handle after the inactive list was submitted and BB had no choice to trot him out there.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Fans aren’t questioning how it was handled, they have been blaming Belichick and even calling for his head. He’s been getting killed and Butler, whose behavior led to the issue, is being given a total pass. Some have even said that they don’t care if Butler hit a coach, he still should ha e played. I .e..there is nothing he could have done they wouldn’t excuse.

No one has given butler a pass but why dress him at all? Why tell him at the last moment? That was classless! Bill deserves all the criticism coming his way. Butler would have given us a big chance to at least get a stop and belichick never looked his way.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

When NE was getting shredded by the Seahawks offense, NE adjusted by benching Arrington, bringing in Butler, and changing who Browner was covering.

In this game, they were getting shredded even worse, and yet the coaching staff decided to do nothing, even though Butler was dressed and ready to go. If you're not going to use him under the most extreme circumstances, why dress him at all?

I am concerned that the more Belichick realized he needed Butler, the more opposed to playing him he became. And that is ****ed up.

He did not want to reward Butler for whatever he did Saturday night. It came down to a pride issue with Bill (“I’d rather lose the super bowl and get shredded on defense than give Malcolm an opportunity to make a big play because of whatever he did”). Just think about it - if Butler turns the game around defensively in the third quarter then Bill will look like an idiot for not playing him in the first half in the first place, so Belichick decides to sit him the whole game.

 

[Triumph]

The whole game was doomed from the beginning.

Nobody gave the Eagles a chance in hell and all everyone talked about was Brady and Belichick. Brady MVP with the acceptance speech out before the award ceremony. Patricia and McDaniels, Tom vs Time. It was supposed to be a slam dunk Lombardi. Vegas gave the Eagles no love and most everywhere you turned there was something to piss the Eagles off.

The Pats were the 2001 Rams and the Eagles the blue color unassuming 2001 Patriots.

Krafts tricked out Lombardi airplane touching down in Minneapolis. Like Air Force 1 landing. Strike up the band. We are the Patriots and here for everybody to kiss our asses. The Patriot way is gone. When Rodney Harrison came to Boston, the Pats picked him up in a Ford Taurus. Harrison said that he knew that he was in the right place.

I wish that the Pats could go back to being that drama less team, but were likely past the point of no return.

 

[chasa]

No, I’m telling you how far gone some of these people are in excusing Butler.

excusing him for what? You keep saying we are letting butler off the hook, and yet not a single person is sayng what he did to get benched for the entirety of the superbowl.

Until Bill gives ANYONE a reason other then "packages" this debacle is purely on his plate.

 

[Observer]

It’s not conjecture at all, it’s Butler’s own words on the situation. “ They lost faith in me.” “ They gave up on me.”

His words, not mine.

Way to make stuff up. Here’s what he actually said: "They gave up on me. F—. It is what it is," Butler told Reiss and Schefter. "I don't know what it was. I guess I wasn't playing good or they didn't feel comfortable. I don't know. But I could have changed that game."

In other words, even he doesn’t know. What he does know is he could have changed the game.

 

[Huckleberry1]

No one has given butler a pass but why dress him at all? Why tell him at the last moment? That was classless! Bill deserves all the criticism coming his way. Butler would have given us a big chance to at least get a stop and belichick never looked his way.

The hell they haven’t, this entire thread has been an exercise in blaming Belichick and giving Butler a complete pass.

 

[Bella*chick]

In all honesty I thought Brady was going to go down the field and win the game.

So did I. It seemed perfectly set up. I was hoping they’d run the ball when he got sacked because I was worried Brady would score too fast and the Eagles would get in FG position.

 

[XLIX]

No. It was always Tuna's but the point is BB had zero problem playing BB when he was hungover or carousing the night before. Why? Because he did his job.

We don't know whether or not Belichick had any problem with it, but let the record show that Lawrence Taylor is the greatest defensive player of all time. As the Tuna once said: You treat all players fairly but that doesn't mean you treat all players equally.

 

[SVN]

No, I’m telling you how far gone some of these people are in excusing Butler.

Alright forget those people, do you agree how BB handled it if it was not punching a coach related or it was punching a coach related , just to take an example?

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I think the butler benching had an effect on our defense mentally as well. Last moment like that. Rowe was surprised.

 

[Huckleberry1]

excusing him for what? You keep saying we are letting butler off the hook, and yet not a single person is sayng what he did to get benched for the entirety of the superbowl.

Until Bill gives ANYONE a reason other then "packages" this debacle is purely on his plate.

Butler said the coaches lost faith in him, that’s his fault, not theirs.

And Belichick doesn’t owe you or any other fan anything. If you think you have been shorted then go find another team that won’t disappoint you so much.