FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — “Hey Malcolm, got a second?”
“Malcolm, I just got a couple of quick questions. Got a minute?”
“Malcolm, can I ask you something?”
Wow, what a difference one year – actually one play – can make in an NFL player’s life. Malcolm Butler can attest to that.
“It’s a little different,” Butler said as he got ready for practice last week.
In 2014, Butler could walk through the New England Patriots’ locker room and never be stopped. He was a rookie cornerback simply trying to make the team. This year he’s regarded as New England’s No.1 cornerback and everyone wants to talk to him every day.
And it’s all because of one very famous play back on Feb. 1, in the waning seconds of the Super Bowl.
That’s when Butler, the undrafted free agent out of an NCAA Division II school, sprinted in front of Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockett to intercept Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone with 20 seconds remaining to seal New England’s 28-24 victory and the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl championship.
That set off a whirlwind offseason celebration that few players have experienced:
• A trip to Disneyland with wide receiver Julian Edelman.
• An appearance at the Grammys where he, Edelman and actor Josh Duhamel presented the “Best Rock Album” award. Butler also got Jamie Foxx’s cellphone number and a selfie with LL Cool J.
• An appearance at the ESPY awards.
• An appearance at the Kid’s Choice Awards on Nickelodeon, where he received the Favorite Newcomer Award.
• A parade in his hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he received the key to the city.
• A shout-out from President Obama when the Patriots visited the White House.
• And, oh, yeah, there’s also that truck Tom Brady gave him – Brady’s prize for being the Super Bowl MVP.
How does anyone come down from that?
“It’s all about building off that and moving on, trying to do bigger things, and moving forward and trying to have a productive season,” said Butler.
In the NFL, you can be humbled quickly.
Butler found that out when he wasn’t allowed on the practice field for two weeks in the spring. He was late to a practice when his flight to Boston was canceled because of weather. But no excuse is good enough for Coach Bill Belichick when it comes to practices, so Butler sat.
He still attended all the team meetings and workouts in the stadium, but wasn’t allowed on the field. If Butler needed a reminder of where he was playing and what he has to do, he got it. And he responded in typical Patriots fashion when asked about it in training camp: “No comment on that, sorry about that.”
This year, with the losses of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington, Butler locked onto a starting cornerback spot immediately. Not big at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, he possesses great cover skills and an instinct for making plays.
“Much improved, much improved on everything,” said Belichick, when asked about Butler. “It’s obviously just his second year, the change of lifestyle, becoming a professional athlete, working at this job every day, becoming more mature, more dependable, having a better understanding of what we do, having a better understanding of what our opponents do or the passing game in the National Football League.
“He’s made a huge jump from year one to year two as most of our other players have that are in that same category.”
But none of those other players erupted onto the national consciousness like Butler. He’s now almost got to prove that one play won’t define his career.
“I put it behind me,” said Butler. “But it’s always going to be there with me, no matter what. It’s just a little motivation to make me play better and raise the standards a little. I just want to play.”
Butler played in only 11 games last year, starting one, with 11 tackles and four passes defended. His best game before the Super Bowl came against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, when the Patriots used four cornerbacks and he had four tackles with one pass defensed.
Butler came to the Patriots from West Alabama, where he had seven career interceptions. He was a long shot to make the team. Then practices began and he started making plays.
“He had that little ‘it’ factor you see in somebody and you know, ‘This guy’s going to be a good football player,’ ” defensive end Rob Ninkovich said.
He earned his way; now he’s looking to keep it.
“Every day I come out here, I’m trying to get better,” he said. “If I have a bad day then I’m still trying to get better the next day.”
He knows all eyes will be on the cornerbacks this year. He’s confident they’ll be fine.
“Revis and Browner are not here anymore,” he said. “I’m Malcolm Butler. Tarell (Brown) is Tarell. Logan (Ryan) is Logan. We’re just going to do what we can do and play the best we can, and just go out there and compete each and every week.”
Even though he’s a starter – and a Super Bowl hero – Butler isn’t changing his approach.
“I go out there like I’m not going to make it because I’ve seen good guys still not make it,” he said. “Around this time, I’m more relaxed. I’m comfortable. I have a job. But I’m still working like I’ve got to keep this job.”
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