FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ return to the Super Bowl highlights just how far cornerback Malcolm Butler has come in two short years.
Butler was an afterthought heading into Super Bowl XLIX as the No. 5 cornerback on the Patriots’ depth chart before making his game-clinching interception. He only got into the Patriots’ championship win over the Seattle Seahawks after Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan struggled early in the game.
Now Butler, who went undrafted out of West Alabama in 2014, is the Patriots’ No. 1 cornerback and one of the best in the NFL at his position as New England prepares for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
“Long way from West Alabama,” Belichick said. “But, you know, again, and that’s absolutely true for Malcolm, and I’d say that we have a lot of other players in that category, guys that come into this league and wherever they were, it’s a huge jump on a number of levels — competitively, socially, economically, the attention from the fans and the media and so forth. Not everybody is from Alabama or Michigan or USC or those places, and even the ones that come from there, it’s still a huge jump. It’s a big part and a big time in a professional player’s career.”
Belichick originally was asked if he knew Butler could be a future starter back before Super Bowl XLIX.
“Well I mean we put him on Antonio Brown in the opener in 2015,” Belichick said. “Obviously there has been growth over time. I don’t think you go from one level of a player to another in a few practices or a game or a half. I don’t really think that’s possible. Again, I thought that he had showed enough going into the 2015 season that he would be our guy that we would match up against certain receivers. I don’t want to say No. 1 receivers. But he’s developed a lot since then, like any player would from Year One to Year Three, barring any setback or unusual circumstance. That’s a big growth period for players.”
The Patriots are facing the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense in the Falcons. New England’s cornerbacks will have tough matchups against Falcons receivers Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel. It’s unclear who Butler will cover.
Thumbnail photo via James Lang/USA TODAY Sports Images
