More: Former Cardinal Haason Reddick: 'It's been a journey. ![]() He told The Republic he is mulling over a potential comeback, saying, “People thought I wouldn’t last, like I was a one-hit wonder. … Sometimes you let people drain you and you realize that, and you get back emotion and eventually you start building yourself back up, piece by piece.”īutler retired, then unretired to rejoin the Patriots for a second stint in 2022 but was placed on injured reserve during training camp and was released days later. “My father passed away and I was going through a lot of stuff, and I just had to keep right,” he said. Named a starting cornerback in training camp, Butler walked away from Arizona under more cloudy circumstances at the time, although he revealed to The Republic that his main reason for leaving the team was because of the death of his father. He moved on to the Titans and had two productive seasons in his three years there before ending up with the Cardinals in 2021. Butler knew he just had to gain inside leverage if the Seahawks threw the ball and when they did, he said of Lockett, “Man, I knocked him back to Seattle.”Īsked if he was surprised coach Pete Carroll didn’t overrule the play call and choose to run the ball with Lynch, Butler added, “Surprised or not surprised, they did the right thing – throw the ball to me.”īutler would win another Super Bowl with the Patriots two years later against the Falcons, although he only saw action on a single play on special teams in a situation that remains somewhat murky to this day. He wasn’t surprised when coach Bill Belichick sent him in on the goal line situation to cover the stack formation. New England’s fifth cornerback on the roster that night, he replaced a struggling Kyle Arrington at nickelback in the third quarter and started making play after play. ![]() Read more: Here's a guide to survive Super Bowl madness, even if you aren't a fanįor Butler, who entered the league in 2014 as an undrafted rookie free agent from West Alabama after stints at Hinds (Miss.) Community College and Alcorn State, Super Bowl XLIX was his dress rehearsal. “So, I try to steward it as such, like it’s a gift from God, and I’m living my life in a manner that continues to inspire and provides motivation for others.” “I mean, 15 years later, to kind of be able to still peek our head out and be able to be received in different communities, have kids be excited, be able to hit YouTube and kind of be refreshed about what that moment was and what it meant in NFL history is something I never could have imagined as a special teams player coming into the league. I think I’ve said that over and over again,” Tyree said, referring to the Helmet Catch. His first TD catch during the 2007 season came during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII when he caught a 5-yard strike from Manning before his ultimate date with history. Tyree was a sixth-round pick of the Giants out of Syracuse in 2003 and mostly made his mark as a special teams player, catching just four regular-season touchdowns during his seven NFL seasons. Instead, the play call was a quick pass from Russell Wilson to Ricardo Lockett out of a two-receiver stack and Butler forcibly intercepted the pass at the goal line to preserve the win. New England held a 28-24 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Seattle had driven all the way down to the Patriots’ 1-yard line.įacing second and goal with 20 seconds left to play, everyone was expecting Marshawn Lynch to get the handoff and plow his way into the end zone. In a fitting twist of fate, Butler, 32, established his legacy as a rookie cornerback for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks. Four plays later, Manning hit Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard, game-winning touchdown, ruining the Patriots' undefeated season. With Patriots safety Rodney Harrison smothering him like a blanket, Tyree leaped and caught the ball fully extended, bringing the football down against his helmet with his right hand. New York was trailing 14-10 with 1:15 left in regulation and facing a third-and-five situation when quarterback Eli Manning somehow eluded a sack and flung the ball 35 yards downfield. ![]() Tyree, now 43, is famous for making the “Helmet Catch” for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the Patriots.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |