Darius Butler Says He Must Improve to Earn Back Playing Time After Losing Starting Job

FOXBORO, Mass. — Patriots cornerback Darius Butler understood why he spent the majority of Sunday's game on the sidelines, and it's driving him to make sure that doesn’t grow into a pattern.

"It's a production business," Butler said. "If you don’t produce, game day is when it counts. If it's not getting done on game day, then I won't be out there. That’s where I want to be, so I'll do what it takes to get back out there."

Butler sat out all but a few plays during New England's victory against the Bills, as he was relieved of his job by Kyle Arrington, who made his first career start.

Butler and Arrington have been good friends since the latter was signed by the Patriots midway through the 2009 season, and they share adjacent locker stalls. While that could conceivably create some tension, the pair of young cornerbacks — Butler is in his second season, while Arrington is in his third — have remained tight.

"Me and Darius have the same relationship dating back to when I first got here," Arrington said. "He was definitely one of the first guys that I became friends with. We have the same relationship today."

Both players knew their roles for the Bills game by Friday night, but this week's assignments probably aren't set in stone just yet. While Arrington, who went undrafted, likely played well enough to justify another start, the Patriots have invested more in Butler, who was a 2009 second-round pick and might have more of an opportunity to reacquire his job.

Most important, at least for now, is the level of performance.

"Bill [Belichick's] philosophy is whoever is playing at the highest level, whoever is doing what [the coaches are] teaching, plays," Arrington said. "Hopefully, that will continue."

This week, though, Arrington might have an edge. Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is a big, physical, fast target who will line up mostly on the left side of the offense, which is the side of the field where Arrington and Butler typically hold it down.

Since Butler has had a tough time in his career against bigger receivers, such as Braylon Edwards in Week 2, this figures to be a better matchup for Arrington, who was overjoyed to make a significant impact Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

"It was definitely an experience that I was truly, truly grateful for," Arrington said. "With the crowd, being a home game, the crowd was going, they were loud, it was kind of unexplainable. It's every kid's dream, and it definitely was what I expected it to be."

And for the guy on the other side of that dynamic, it was something of a wakeup call.

"I guess my play wasn’t up to par, and I wasn’t on the field," Butler said. "That’s obviously where I want to be, so I need to do whatever it takes to get back on there."