New England Patriots: Malcolm Butler knew he was benched for Super Bowl
By Sam Minton
According to Devin McCourty, the New England Patriots let Malcolm Butler know that he wouldn’t be playing in Super Bowl LII.
The New England Patriots are used to getting praise for out of the box moves but in Super Bowl LII, fans were all over Bill Belichick for one of his decisions.
Malcolm Butler was sitting on the sidelines while the Patriots defense got torched by the Nick Foles and the Eagles offense. Why was Butler on the sidelines?
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
Well, we still don’t know why, but we do know that this wasn’t a rushed or game-time decision. According to Devin McCourty, the plan all week long was to bench Butler.
I will admit that I am still skeptical. We saw Butler get very emotional on the sidelines prior to the game. Maybe it all hit him on game day, but it sure looked like a guy who was told he wouldn’t be playing just a short time ago.
If this is the case I still think that the Patriots and Bill Belichick aren’t off the hook. New England is known for their in-game adjustments. How do you not put Butler in?
I’m not saying that just having Butler in would have won the Patriots a Super Bowl, but Tom Brady had the game of his life. I don’t know if Philly could have kept scoring if Butler was in the game. One tackle or one batted ball could have changed the game completely.
Now we are just left to think what could have been? Imagine if Tom Brady had another Super Bowl ring? He might have even retired after the Super Bowl win over the LA Rams.
Next. Greg Olsen has Patriots written all over him. dark
But it seems that we sort of have an explanation into what happened on that fateful Sunday night. Malcolm Butler knew he wasn’t playing and that is exactly what ended up happening.