What Everyone Was Saying About Malcolm Butler Prior To Patriots Season
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.
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.
And it's a safe bet you'll never forget the kid's name as long as you live.
For 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. 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. I don't think too many of those games air on ESPN or CBS on Saturdays.
And 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 recorded just 16 tackles and four passes defensed during that time, so it's not as if he had really made himself known.
So now that he's a Super Bowl hero, I thought it might be interesting dig through some archives and see what all the Patriots writers were saying about Butler in the summer. I found two common themes: The kid was impressive, and the combination of an Alfonzo Dennard rehab and an impending Brandon Browner suspension worked to his favor in terms of making the roster.
Here's a look at what they were saying in the summer.
Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston
Aug. 25 roster projection
"Butler, an undrafted free agent from West Alabama, is the surprise story of the preseason."
Andy Hart, Patriots.com
Aug. 25 roster projection
"Butler is clearly not only in the mix to make the roster but to have a role with the team even if/when Browner returns from suspension."
Tom E. Curran, CSNNE
Sept. 4 Week 1 preview
"Malcolm Butler's looked outstanding, and he's a player that really flew under the radar throughout his college career, junior college career, and now has solidified himself in this rotation."
Jeff Howe, Boston Herald
July 30 practice observations
"Cornerback Malcolm Butler had two pass breakups in team drills, and cornerback Travis Hawkins had one pass breakup. Butler and Daxton Swanson have been actively targeting the ball throughout camp, and there's some really good competition for a job at the bottom of the depth chart, especially if the Pats take an extra cornerback during Browner's suspension."
Jeff Howe, Aug. 15 preseason game recap
"Malcolm Butler forced and recovered a fumble in the third quarter. He was also part of a forced fumble in the first quarter. The kid keeps making plays. He'll make the 53-man roster, but sticking after Brandon Browner returns from a suspension will be more of a challenge."
Mark Daniels, Providence Journal
Aug. 20 feature story on Butler
"In the Patriots' first preseason game, against Washington, he totaled seven tackles and deflected two passes. Then, against Philadelphia, he got the start opposite Darrelle Revis, collected seven more tackles and should've been credited with two forced fumbles. 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."
Shalise Manza Young, Boston Globe
Sept. 4 feature on defense
"So Belichick brought in two veteran corners, [and] uncovered a potential gem in undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler."
Ben Volin, Boston Globe
Aug. 4 preseason game preview
"Undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler has had an excellent camp, played the most out of any defender against Washington, and is doing a good job of convincing Belichick to keep six cornerbacks on the roster."
Nick O'Malley, MassLive.com
Aug. 29 roster projection
"There are really no more questions about Butler anymore. He can play."
Greg Knopping, SB Nation, via Yahoo
Aug. 29 Roster Projections
"Butler is about as safe as an undrafted rookie can be in relation to his roster spot."
Erik Frenz, Boston.com
Aug. 12 feature on Butler
"Thus far in training camp, Butler has been equal to the task. He seems to be at his best when covering receivers downfield, breaking up long passes and coming down with interceptions. … If Butler continues to play at this level, it will be hard to keep him off the roster."
Doug Kyed, NESN.com
Preseason recap, Aug. 7
"Cornerback Malcolm Butler: The undrafted rookie cornerback out of West Alabama was targeted early and often, as he lined up with the first-team defense, and he responded well. Butler stuck with wide receivers Aldrick Robinson and Ryan Grant and was able to get his hands on the ball multiple times. He has been impressive in training camp, and that carried over to his in-game performance. Right now, it looks like Butler has the inside track for the No. 5 cornerback role while Brandon Browner serves a four-game suspension."
Doug Kyed, Aug. 12 feature story
"The New England Patriots have seen some unlikely feel-good stories come through Foxboro since Bill Belichick took over the team in 2000, but Malcolm Butler ranks among the most improbable stars of training camp."
Doug Kyed, Aug. 19 story on preseason surprises
"Butler has done the impossible for an undrafted rookie out of Division II West Alabama: He has generated more headlines in training camp than Darrelle Revis — and he doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. Butler hasn't been perfect, but he has proven to be playmaker. On Monday alone, the rookie cornerback picked off Tom Brady and stripped Rob Gronkowski. Butler has come a long way since only receiving a tryout with the Patriots after the draft. Now he has a very good chance of cracking the 53-man roster out of camp."
And let's go to one more source:
Brandon Browner, New England Patriots
Feb. 1, on the field after winning the Super Bowl
"Malcom, from OTAs, all the way up until today, he had the most interceptions in practice out of anyone. So we knew he got ball skills. He didn't have none on the season, and he took the right time to get his first interception."
It all goes to show that for as much as the coverage of the football team can be a bit over-the-top in OTAs, training camp and the preseason, the coverage does occasionally uncover the lesser-known stories and the unknown players. And once in a million years, if you pay close enough attention in August, you just might learn the name of the young man who will end up making a play to win the Super Bowl, one that will live in Boston sports lore forever.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
