![]() ![]() "He's one of the best corners in the NFL. "He's definitely evolved," safety Patrick Chung said. Whoever he's assigned to, Butler has the confidence of his teammates. One way to get around this is to play zone coverage and make Atlanta crawl down the field instead of hitting the big strike. Of Butler, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said: "It's been great to watch him develop and mature and really grow his knowledge of the game and become a football player that's playing more than just within his position."Ī Jones-Butler matchup is enticing, but it may not materialize as much as the Brown-Butler matchup did in the AFC title game.īutler often covers the smaller, quicker receivers (like Brown), and Logan Ryan and Eric Rowe are assigned to the bigger, physical receivers (like 6-3, 220 Julio Jones or 6-2, 210 Mohamed Sanu).īut that would mean Butler is assigned to Taylor Gabriel (5-8, 165), which isn't the Patriots' best allocation of resources. Per the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, quarterbacks against Butler in man coverage were 52-of-99 passing for 745 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in 18 games.Ĭompare that to my charting of the Jaguars' Jalen Ramsey - 49-of-91 passing for 585 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Not exactly a cast of All-Pro quarterbacks on the Patriots' schedule this year (that changes Sunday night).Īnd Butler has a nose for the football in terms of collecting deflections. Jets: Playing off coverage at the left cornerback spot, Butler intercepted Petty when the pass went through Quincy Enunwa's hands. Jets: In press coverage against Robby Anderson, Butler broke up Bryce Petty's underthrow and made the interception. Los Angeles: Playing off coverage against a stack formation, Butler intercepted Jared Goff after his pass went through tight end Lance Kendricks' hands. N Wat Pittsburgh: Butler allowed Antonio Brown a free release but intercepted Landry Jones in the end zone on another underthrow. Tennessee: Playing off coverage, Butler picked off Zach Mettenberger's underthrow in the end zone. N Wat Buffalo: Butler intercepted Tyrod Taylor's deflected pass. Since the interception of Wilson two years ago, Butler has six interceptions. In this year's regular season, Butler's four interceptions were tied for 11th in the NFL, and his 17 pass breakups were tied for eighth. ![]() "That year, I didn't know what was going on - everything was going fast," Butler said. His role and mindset changed since the Patriots-Seahawks title game. "It helped my career."īutler is back in the Super Bowl when New England plays Atlanta on Sunday night. "I'm most definitely known for that play," Butler said. In the final minute of the Super Bowl, he intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to secure the Patriots' come-from-behind victory. Super Bowl Analysis: Match-up of high-powered offensesīutler played at unheralded West Alabama and spent all but the final five minutes of his rookie year in obscurity. Super Bowl Storylines: Ryan and Brady, Butler and Atlanta's young defense Super Bowl Insider: Now 36, Freeney's role has changed, but still important Super Bowl Insider: Two years after last-minute interception, a new role for Malcolm Butler Super Bowl Insider: Patriots receivers better than they appear Super Bowl Insider: Falcons assistant Doug Mallory grateful for 'intern' year with Jaguars The Remaining Four: Teams that haven't reached Super Bowl includes Jaguars Super Bowl Insider: Atlanta's Dan Quinn inherited much better situation than Gus Bradley … and it's showed McDaniels-Shanahan: Two the Jaguars interviewed but moved on from Read more of the Times-Union's Super Bowl coverageįalcons center Alex Mack: 'I was ready to be a Jaguar' "Once we saw Malcolm on the field for the first workout, it was pretty obvious we felt like this was the type of kid that we wanted to work with," Belichick said.īut New England could have never expected Butler to develop into a No. The Patriots invited Butler to rookie minicamp - he wasn't even a signed undrafted free agent. That dig - which all 32 teams do when day three of the draft begins - produced a gem in Butler. "Just digging through some guys at the end of the draft," coach Bill Belichick said this week. ![]() HOUSTON | There wasn't some magic formula to the New England Patriots discovering cornerback Malcolm Butler three years ago this May. ![]()
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