New England Patriots: Bill Belichick won’t elaborate on Malcolm Butler benching
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick isn’t sharing much about why Malcolm Butler was benched.
The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles put on an offensive clinic in Super Bowl 52. Plenty of records were set as the Eagles pulled off the upset, defeating the Patriots 41-33.
There were plenty of storylines and questions that arose from the game. Arguably the biggest question that came from the game is, what happened to Malcolm Butler?
The star from Super Bowl 49 was nowhere to be found in Super Bowl 52. Butler was on the field for all of one special team play, covering a punt. It was a big factor in the game, as Nick Foles had his way with the Patriots passing defense.
Without Butler, New England’s pass defense struggled mightily. Stephon Gilmore got the job done, but the Eagles found plenty of success when not throwing in his direction. Eric Rowe, who started in place of Butler, Johnson Bademosi and Jordan Richards all struggled.
Given the end result of the game, it was a fair question to ask why Butler, who played the most defensive snaps for the Patriots during the regular season and postseason, wasn’t on the field. However, don’t expect to get an answer from head coach Bill Belichick.
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Belichick was asked about it following the game but offered very little insight into the decision making. The reasons for the benching will remain in-house.
"“I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion,” Belichick said. “There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was.”After the game Sunday night, Belichick had said it wasn’t a disciplinary decision.“We put the players and game plan out there that we thought would be the best, like we always do,” he said Sunday."
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia gave a similarly vague answer, saying Butler wasn’t playing because of matchups. Given his role throughout the season, it is tough to believe that the Patriots decided, heading into the biggest game of the year, that Butler was no longer fit to perform and help them win.
A disappointed Butler expressed frustration after the game. Belichick also commented on that.
"“I respect Malcolm’s competitiveness, and I’m sure that he felt like he could have helped,” Belichick said Monday. “I’m sure other players felt the same way. In the end, we have to make the decisions that we feel are best for the football team, and that’s what we did, that’s what I did.”"
There is no doubt had he been in the game that he would have helped. The Patriots game plan in the first half allowed Alshon Jeffery to make some big plays, which were nonexistent once Gilmore was called upon to defend him.
By the time the Patriots made their adjustments, it was already too late. The Eagles offense was in rhythm and there was no stopping them.
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It will be something that people will question for a while. The Patriots are as good as any team at making adjustments, so why wasn’t Butler put into the game plan for the second half? We may never know as the Patriots are extremely tight-lipped. Butler not being part of the game plan seems to only be part of the story.