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Malcolm Butler situation?


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nope...but I gotta go sphere fishing in the a.m. Perhaps it will come to me by then...
Without cheating.... I bet no one knows who's mug is your avatar.
 
My avatar is my crazy Puerto Rican "rescue" mutt Kutya. He's as wacky as he looks, but give him a chunk of Spam and he'll follow you anywhere. He LOVES that s--t.
 
Corner snap counts, week 2 at Saints:

65 -- 100% --- Stephon Gilmore
49 --- 75% --- Malcolm Butler
34 --- 52% --- Eric Rowe
27 --- 42% --- Jonathan Jones


I wouldn't put too much emphasis in to who did and did not start, even though the Boston sports media will surely squeeze every drop they can out of the topic over the next several days.

As noted previously, the matchups based on the Saints roster meant it made more sense to use Rowe more on the outside against taller receivers and Butler on Ginn.
When is the last time Butlsr played just 75% of the snaps in a game? He was good for 98% the last 2 years.
 
When is the last time Butlsr played just 75% of the snaps in a game? He was good for 98% the last 2 years.

Maybe his last game before we got Gilmore?
 
Here's a dark and tawdry little thought: You don't suppose BB would try to make Butler look kinda 2nd-rate this year in a gambit to get him back cheap going forward. Ol' Bill wouldn't do a thing like that, would he?
 
If we're all gonna decide the only reason Butler didn't start was due to "matchups", we should at least all agree then that he is no way a No. 1 corner and not worth the money he was asking for.


If an opponent lines up a couple of pint-sized waterbugs in the next two weeks, and Gilmore still gets 100% of the snaps, then you'll have a point. Until then, not so much in a 3 receiver league.
 
The question is which Butler plays more reps next week. It was close this week.
 
When is the last time Butlsr played just 75% of the snaps in a game? He was good for 98% the last 2 years.
Not since his rookie season.

Maybe his last game before we got Gilmore?

To add on to this point, consider this topic as CB1 vs CB2 (and vs CB3). Gilmore is now CB1, not Butler.

Last year Logan Ryan had five games with snap counts in the 60's and 70's as a percentage, plus one in the 40's. Conversely Eric Rowe had six games in the 70's or above.


Perhaps it is time for us as fans to reconsider the reality of Butler's role at CB. The addition of Gilmore makes Butler a CB2, but many of us here are still looking at him as a CB1.

Regardless of who is CB2 (Rowe or Butler), there are going to be games where that corner is in on around 75% of the snaps. The days of Butler playing 100% of the snaps are over.
 
Not since his rookie season.



To add on to this point, consider this topic as CB1 vs CB2 (and vs CB3). Gilmore is now CB1, not Butler.

Last year Logan Ryan had five games with snap counts in the 60's and 70's as a percentage, plus one in the 40's. Conversely Eric Rowe had six games in the 70's or above.


Perhaps it is time for us as fans to reconsider the reality of Butler's role at CB. The addition of Gilmore makes Butler a CB2, but many of us here are still looking at him as a CB1.

Regardless of who is CB2 (Rowe or Butler), there are going to be games where that corner is in on around 75% of the snaps. The days of Butler playing 100% of the snaps are over.

Just my $.02:

Rowe will play more against taller, less shifty players, but likely won't get that time against the little guys. He's not likely to be the one to watch. Even Gilmore isn't really the one to watch, unless we see him getting fewer snaps against the short and quicks, which would tell us that BB and the rocket scientist are going completely situational with the CBs.


If Jones starts cutting into Butler's time against small to mid-sized receivers, that'll be the tell-tale.
 
I wonder if it had anything to do with how thoroughly the Saints presumably scouted him this spring
 
When is the last time Butlsr played just 75% of the snaps in a game? He was good for 98% the last 2 years.

2016:

Wk-5, CLE ... 87%
Wk-8, BUF ... 89%
Wk-14, BAL ... 94%
Wk-16, NYJ ... 88%
Wk-17, MIA ... 93%

2015: 3 games at 93%-95%.
 
What is going on with Butler? Why did Rowe start over him today? I find it hard to believe he has fallen from our undisputed #1 CB to our #3.

Should we be concerned about this?

First of all, the CB-1, CB-2, CB-3 nomenclature is ridiculously archaic, especially in the Pats' game-planning, matchup defense that changes from opponent-to-opponent. The Pats now have 3 very good CBs (and a pretty decent 4th guy) and will use them in whatever way they feel provides the best advantage for that week's game.

Second, aside from QB and OL, "starts" is the most meaningless stat in football.

The short answer to your question is, "no."
 
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