Malcolm Butler Mega Thread

[Observer]

I am starting to believe it was a football decision keeping Butler out and it's mind boggling

If it was a football decision then BB needs to be checked for CTE.

 

[Observer]

So it was a match-up decision... and it failed absolutely miserably. So long, Butler. You were a class act. Good luck with the Tits (unless, of course, you're playing the Pats).

I read somewhere that even the other coaches were perplexed that Butler wasn't playing. Am I making this up?

 

[Shockt327]

Guy didn't want to be here.

No way. If the Pats offered Butler that contract before the season started, then why did they bench him in week 2 at New Orleans? I highly doubt their opinion of Butler did a 180 that fast.

 

[aluminum seats]

So it was as horrific a decision as we thought, apart from those few who blindly tried to defend it. Worst coaching decision in Belichick's life.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

"He took a veteran out of Super Bowl XLIX and put in a first-year rookie, and that turned out right, so you could never question his decision.”

Damn. That, after never really getting an explanation. It's very, very nice to see a grown man in an NFL uniform, even if it won't be a NE uniform next season.

Another one I'll root for, except if he plays us.

 

[pheenix11]

He makes a great point, if Belichick isn’t who he is then maybe we never know who Malcolm Butler is.

Live by the hoodie, die by the hoodie.

 

[jimnance]

There's probably no bigger BB admirer on this board than myself.
And there's absolutely no bigger Malcolm Butler supporter than myself.
I've completely stayed out if the discussion,especially that ridiculous long thread full of gossip,rumors and innuendo and not much else.
I remain a huge supporter of both.
I know that due to MB's illness and inability to practice there was no way he was starting.
I think BB even putting Bademosi and Richards on the field ahead of him was justified due to the circumstances.
There really is only one question: why did BB not ever attempt to play Malcolm later in the game when both Bademosi and Richards and pretty much everyone else not named Gilmore were getting destroyed?
Like everyone else, I have no idea. It will go down as one of the strangest decisions ever made by BB. The difference between me and a lot of others though, is I won't speculate why.
In BB I trust. That's all. I don't have to know why. I know whatever he did, he did it for the same reason he does everything else: he thought it gave the Patriots the best chance of winning.
And despite a down year, Malcolm is still one of the best cbs in the NFL. He will be a Pro Bowler again, probably this year.

 

[Hyped]

class act

I did like the comments about bringing in a rookie for the last play of the Super Bowl. That worked. benching someone who was sick and not involved in practice might have worked also.

It was CLOSE though....one.more.stop....arrgghhh!

 

[neuronet]

As far as I'm concerned, that's the last word on the subject. We will never know more. Everything after that classy statement will be bs and hot air. Godspeed.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Yeah, I have a feeling that after the Superbowl benching, there wasn't any amount of 'close money' that would keep Butler in New England. Not only is BB's decision baffling to this day, but it permanently alienated Butler from even considering coming back on a 'reasonable' deal.

 

[hellolin]

Sorry, but after the Super Bowl ******** I would heave left for $1.00 more. That was an embarrassment to this franchise and if ANY other coach on ANY other team did this, they would be absolutely demolished publicly and privately.

Yeah you get some leeways after you won 2 super bowls in 3 years.

 

[supafly]

Yeah, I have a feeling that after the Superbowl benching, there wasn't any amount of 'close money' that would keep Butler in New England. Not only is BB's decision baffling to this day, but it permanently alienated Butler from even considering coming back on a 'reasonable' deal.

This is assuming that Bill Belichick would have wanted him, of course, and that’s an assumption that we probably shouldn’t make. For all we know, Belichick may not have wanted him back at half of that price. It sounds weird, but we just don’t know, and if he really benched him based on play alone, there might be something to this line of thinking.

What a strange situation this all turned out to be.

 

[Jackson 2]

I am still wearing my "The Butler Did It With A Pick In The End Zone 2-1-15" T-Shirt!!!

I have one too!

 

[Observer]

There's probably no bigger BB admirer on this board than myself.
And there's absolutely no bigger Malcolm Butler supporter than myself.
I've completely stayed out if the discussion,especially that ridiculous long thread full of gossip,rumors and innuendo and not much else.
I remain a huge supporter of both.
I know that due to MB's illness and inability to practice there was no way he was starting.
I think BB even putting Bademosi and Richards on the field ahead of him was justified due to the circumstances.
There really is only one question: why did BB not ever attempt to play Malcolm later in the game when both Bademosi and Richards and pretty much everyone else not named Gilmore were getting destroyed?
Like everyone else, I have no idea. It will go down as one of the strangest decisions ever made by BB. The difference between me and a lot of others though, is I won't speculate why.
In BB I trust. That's all. I don't have to know why. I know whatever he did, he did it for the same reason he does everything else: he thought it gave the Patriots the best chance of winning.
And despite a down year, Malcolm is still one of the best cbs in the NFL. He will be a Pro Bowler again, probably this year.

The problem though is that didn’t Al Michaels say he saw Butler take every snap in practice?

 

[Adam Seward]

We were all waiting for one last “Malcom GO!”, and it never came.

God speed! Will miss you buddy.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

In the 2014 SB BB had his best two corners in the game in Revis and Browning while the third CB was a mixed bag all year. It wasn’t some crazy decision to give Butler a chance over Arrington who had struggled all game while Butler had looked descent in his place.

The last SB wasn’t BB being BB, it was Bill changing tactics to be the guy guy who keeps doing what isn’t working.

It was BB being Marty Schottenheimer.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

class act

I did like the comments about bringing in a rookie for the last play of the Super Bowl. That worked. benching someone who was sick and not involved in practice might have worked also.

Agreed.
Based on illness and missing valuable SB prep time -- and maybe matchups were thought better -- BB initial decision has foundation. I personally wasn't and am still not in favor of MB not being put in when defense had disappeared from the 2nd half of the game. But I also find it absurd for the people who pushed the meme that BB was acting out of spite or being senile or whatever nonsense. He made the decision he thought best to win the game, sure the wrong one IMHO, but MB's statements show some reasoning behind the decision.
Then again I'm of the radical few who still can't believe we didn't win that game. 2.5 minutes, a timeout, 4 TD drives in a row. Philly got **** lucky to get that stealthy slap-strip sack fumble that one hopped right into his teammates hand (patriots had 6 guys in the area, philly 4). A fluke that if it doesn't happen the Patriots go down to score the TD and pull off another TB epic drive nail biter.
But it's water under the damn and over the bridge . On to 2018...

 

[Soliel]

Bademosi and Jordan Richards were both atrocious. 50% of Butler would be better than those 2 asshats

Have to agree bro. To deny this, you’d have to be Stevie wonder

 

[SteveBsFan]

This makes me happier he got a nice payday and will eventually retire a very rich man. He deserves it.

 

[ahmed]

I love Butler and it was disgusting to see how people basically were putting him down to justify a dumb decision that can never be justified. He is also a way better person than I am because I would have torn into BB on the way out...and justifiably so!