On Monday, he followed it up by forcing a fumble on Rob Gronkowski during 7-on-7 drills and then intercepting a Tom Brady on a pass during 3-on-2 drills." Then, against Philadelphia, he got the start opposite Darrelle Revis, collected seven more tackles and should've been credited with two forced fumbles. "In the Patriots' first preseason game, against Washington, he totaled seven tackles and deflected two passes. He'll make the 53-man roster, but sticking after Brandon Browner returns from a suspension will be more of a challenge." He was also part of a forced fumble in the first quarter. "Malcolm Butler forced and recovered a fumble in the third quarter. He recorded just 16 tackles and four passes defensed during that time, so it's not as if he had really made himself known. I don't think too many of those games air on ESPN or CBS on Saturdays.Īnd you can certainly be forgiven if "Malcolm Butler" wasn't permanently etched into your brain during the 18 Patriots games which preceded the Super Bowl. He joined the team with little fanfare as an undrafted rookie out of Division-II Western Alabama, a school that plays its football games against Miles College, Florida Tech, Delta State, Valdosta State and Shorter University. Whatever you were thinking during that nail-biting half of football, chances are you jumped out of your seat in celebration when Butler made the Super Bowl-saving interception on the goal line.Īnd it's a safe bet you'll never forget the kid's name as long as you live.įor many who don't cover the team on a daily basis, it would have been easy to have forgotten or to have never known Malcolm Butler prior to Sunday. It could have been anything.BOSTON (CBS) - It's OK to admit that when you were watching the Super Bowl on Sunday and started to see Malcolm Butler playing crucial snaps in the second half, you thought to yourself - "Who?" And it's OK to admit if you thought it was Darius Butler, the former Patriots defensive back who's roughly the same size as Malcolm. I went to the hospital," Butler told the newspaper. "They probably thought I was kind of late on the game plan I wasn’t as locked in as I should be and could have been a matchup deal. "I feel like this was the reason: I got kind of sick. MORE: Former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien says he attempted suicideīelichick said after the game that Butler's absence was not a disciplinary matter, and he declined to elaborate at the annual owners' meeting in Orlando this week.īutler, for his part, told USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell earlier this month that "I don’t know how much more I can explain it was a ‘coach’s decision.'" He later speculated to The Boston Herald that it might have been related to his health. MORE: Who will be NFL's 'Final Four' teams in 2018 season? And I really wanted to go ask him, but I didn’t."īutler had played 97 percent of New England's defensive snaps prior to the Super Bowl, and nearly two months later, the reason for his benching is still a mystery. "I was close to going up there and saying what I wanted to say to Matt or Belichick, but I just stayed in my lane and just did my job. I respect my authority and I just couldn’t ask them for something they didn’t want to do. "There was times when I was on the sideline, I just wanted to go up and say to Belichick or Matt Patricia, and just say, ‘This how we’re gonna end this?’" said Butler, who signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent this spring. "I grew up in the Patriots system, you know, and I’m a man of God. More: Titans: How Logan Ryan helped recruit former Patriots Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis ![]() ![]() ![]() More: Titans free agency: Why Malcolm Butler says he was benched in Super Bowl More: Titans GM Jon Robinson favors the underdogs. The 28-year-old told Sports Illustratedin a promo for the episode that he didn't bring up the matter to the coaching staff during the game because he wanted to respect their decision - but he did consider it. In a new episode of SI: Under the Coverthat was released Friday, Malcolm Butler said he considered confronting New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick or defensive coordinator Matt Patricia during February's Super Bowl in an attempt to insert himself into the game.īutler, who was arguably the team's top cornerback last season, was famously withheld from the team's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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