Malcolm Butler didn’t go Hollywood despite discovering newfound fame over the offseason.
The Super Bowl XLIX hero has been busy since February, appearing on the Grammys with teammate Julian Edelman, at a parade in his hometown and receiving the keys to Tom Brady’s Chevy truck. Butler was so busy, he even showed up late to organized team activities.
Head coach Bill Belichick said Butler still acts like a rookie, however — in a good way.
“I think Malcolm overall has had a real good offseason,” Belichick said on WEEI’s “Dale and Holley Show”, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I think he, as much as any player that I’ve been around, has really not changed very much from Year 1 to Year 2. I think he’s maintained his level of humility, his lifestyle, his sense of purpose. In a lot of ways, he acts like a rookie out there, like he’s starting all over again. Which, in a lot of ways, that’s the way it is for all of us; we’re all starting all over again. I think Malcolm has had a real good perspective and has worked hard. He’s had a good camp and I think he’ll be ready to go.”
Butler has received first-team reps at left cornerback — the role Aqib Talib and Darrelle Revis once manned for the Patriots — in training camp and Thursday’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers. He has shined in training camp and even challenges quarterback Tom Brady to target him at practice.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
