Malcolm Butler gives his impressions of Mac Jones and his reaction to Matt Patricia calling the Patriots’ offense.
The New England Patriots' decision to let Matt Patricia call offensive plays in 2022 turned plenty of heads -- including that of his former star cornerback.
During an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand" on Thursday from Super Bowl XLVII Radio Row in Phoenix, ex-Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler admitted he was quite surprised to see his former defensive coordinator serve as New England's de facto OC in 2022.
"Yeah, I was shocked," Butler said. "I was kind of shocked that he was doing offense. Matty P is a defensive guy, 100 percent. He's a defensive guy. Not saying offensive guys are soft, but he likes tough guys, and tough guys play on defense."
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Patricia was New England's defensive coordinator when Butler signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and helped launch Butler's career after his famous game-winning interception in Super Bowl XLIX. The West Alabama product made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2016 under Patricia's watch as DC.
So, Butler clearly respects Patricia's defensive acumen. But like many outside observers, he was perplexed to hear that Bill Belichick replaced a talented offensive mind in Josh McDaniels with a coach who had zero offensive play-calling experience prior to 2022 -- much to the detriment of quarterback Mac Jones.
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"I don't know if it's the coaches or the offensive coordinator or him," Butler said when asked about Jones' struggles under Patricia in 2022. "I'm not trying to judge or throw nobody under the bus."
Butler also declined to answer the question that's followed him since 2017 -- Why was he benched in the Patriots' Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles? -- but hinted that more details could be coming soon.
"There’s a documentary coming out where I’m talking about all that," Butler said. "I did that with some of the guys in New England. And I’ve got a book coming out, also, so I ain’t going to spill the beans right now. But it’ll be something to look forward to."
Check out Butler's full interview with Zolak & Bertrand in the video below.