Finally, when the only players still available were afterthoughts, Patriots defensive backs coach Josh Boyer called. The signing frenzy for undrafted free agents came and went. Seven rounds of the draft passed without a call. Given Butler's perceived lack of speed, NFL scouts stopped returning the texts and calls of Butler's agent, Derek Simpson. One high-ranking front-office official said his team didn't even bother to write a report on Butler after his workout in Tuscaloosa. Running the 40 is all about technique, but even without good technique I can get lower than 4.6." "I was shocked," he said of his times, which were in the low 4.6 range.
#MALCOLM BUTLER PRO#
Two months earlier he had run an awful 40-yard dash at Alabama's pro day.
![malcolm butler malcolm butler](https://www.metro.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/New_England_Patriots_Malcolm_Butler_1.png)
"Yes sir" is how Butler replies to such requests. "Are we crossing a river or crossing an ocean? For him it was like crossing an ocean."īutler began crossing the ocean in May 2014.Īn hour or so after his plane landed in New England on May 16, 2014, Butler was told to lace up his track shoes and run a 40-yard dash. "The gap we're talking about from where he was and where he needed to be was out of the ordinary," Belichick said. Three years later, he was a starting guard on a Super Bowl-winning team.īrady himself went from 199th pick of the draft to Super Bowl MVP in 22 months.īut Butler's story may rival any for sheer improbability. Stephen Neal came to the Patriots as an NCAA champion heavyweight wrestler who had never played college football and didn't even know where to stand in a huddle. He landed in New England and was so good that two months later he was signing a contract extension. Remember Danny Woodhead's story? He tried for two years to establish himself with the Jets. Other Patriots have had similar journeys. And when it does, it isn't always fully appreciated. No, it can only happen on Planet Patriot, where Bill Belichick presides and transcendence is an assumption.
![malcolm butler malcolm butler](http://cinemio.it/wp-content/upload/uss-indianapolis-7623.jpg)
Can you think of another planet where Malcolm Butler could have happened? And not like Jakku or Tatooine.