Comments on: I love the Malcolm Butler story

By: The Bookworm Beat 2-4-15 — The “Obama’s not sad” edition and Open Thread

Wed, 04 Feb 2015 23:08:51 +0000

[…] Malcolm Butler, who made the game-winning intercept in the 20th second before zero hour. It’s a nice story about a quiet football hero who swooped in and saved the […]

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 18:30:24 +0000

Interesting background on Malcolm Butler!

We really enjoyed the game, and as Pats fans, the last 2 1/2 minutes were a roller-coaster of emotions. The interception had us jumping up and down with glee.

By: miklos000rosza

miklos000rosza — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 12:46:20 +0000

I played a fair amount of high school sports, and had different periods of being either a star or important player in either football, basketball or baseball. “Mind over matter” seemed to enter into the equation much more in football than in baseball or basketball. So it can become interesting on a level quite separate from learned and practiced skills. Something almost “magical” can take over.

By: miklos000rosza

miklos000rosza — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 04:05:33 +0000

It was a good game. I live in Portland, Oregon, was born in Seattle, so theoretically I should have been on their side (as I was last year). But something about them has put me off a bit, so I was reasonably neutral. You get more of a real charge out of the experience when you’re more strongly emotionally involved. Nevertheless it was fun.

By: Don Carlos

Don Carlos — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 02:53:20 +0000

Watch the movie “Invincible.”
What, a Disney movie about the Philadelphia Eagles way back when, under Dick Vermeil as the new head coach? Yes.
It is a very nice movie, with a good old-fashioned moral, and some startling visual accuracy, like Vermeil’s white (yes, I remember!) belt.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 02:04:51 +0000

The most impressive part is that there was no pause, no hesitation on Butler’s part.

Just an extra fraction of a second to confirm his analysis and move, maybe he still knocks the ball away from Lockette, but he doesn’t get that interception. If he only knocks the ball down, that’s 2 downs for Lynch or maybe Wilson, a dynamic runner in his own right, to run it in from a yard out.

By: Geoffrey Britain

Geoffrey Britain — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 00:21:03 +0000

“I just knew they were going to throw. My instincts, I just went with it, just went with my mind and made the play.” Malcolm Butler

From neo’s linked article: “Butler read the play immediately, took the perfect route to the ball, and was tougher at the point of contact than Lockette. If he’s a hair slower, or lets Lockette bump him off the ball, the Patriots lose and we never even think about the play call.”

That made me think of this;

Brutus:
There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3, 218—224

By: Cornhead

Cornhead — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 00:04:49 +0000

This type of story is why we love sports.

By: J.J.

J.J. — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 23:58:27 +0000

The 12s in Puget Sound (of which I’m not really one since I’m a lifetime Bronco fan) are depressed today. There is a lot of finger pointing at Carroll and Bevel. However, as pointed out in the link by Alex, it was the high percentage call.

As Richard Sherman and a few other Seahawks players said, “They made the play.” Or specifically Butler made the play. It’s tough to lose when it’s seemingly in your grasp, but the Seahawks and the 12s will recover.

Best Superbowl ever? This one was good, but my nomination would be Superbowl XXXII in 1998. Denver over Green Bay 31 to 24. The game was tied until the winning touchdown was scored with 1:52 to go. Another quality game. Especially meaningful to Bronco fans who had endured four Superbowl losses before that first win.

My allegiance to the Broncos goes way back to my years of living in Colorado. Had the pleasure of flying Bronco charters on many occasions when they were owned by the Phipps brothers. Those were the days before airline security was a big deal. On the charters it was legal to open the cockpit door after reaching cruise altitude. Many of the players would come up and chat with us. We asked questions about the team. They asked questions about flying and airplanes. Got to know a few of them as human beings, not just padded gridiron gladiators. I moved to the Pacific Northwest, but my allegiance to the Broncos remains.

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 23:53:23 +0000

CV:

Thanks for the link to the Butler interview. He’s one happy camper today. I put the video up as an addendum to the post.