Butler On Super Bowl Interception: 'That Play Will Not Help On Sunday Night'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Many football fans know Malcolm Butler for one play.
It's hard not to think of the corner's game-saving interception against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, one of the best plays in one of the best Super Bowls, ever. Picking off Russell Wilson at the one-yard line is the play that propelled his career from being an undrafted rookie to a Super Bowl hero.
But after soaking in all the glory of "the pick," Butler quickly made it clear that he was out to make a name for himself, one that goes much further than that one play. So far, he's done just that, earning a Pro Bowl nod last season as New England's No. 1 corner. This year, Butler continues to hold his ground against some of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
With the Seahawks next up for the Patriots on Sunday night, the first time the two teams will play since that evening in Glendale, Arizona, chatter about his interception was bound to resurface (at least for those who don't watch a replay at least once a week). Butler was asked to revisit that moment in the New England locker room on Wednesday, but as always, he wanted to focus on the task at hand rather than the past.
While he admitted that thinking of that play still brings a smile to his face, it's far out of his mind as the Pats prepare to host the 5-2-1 Seahawks.
"That's not going to help us win this game," he humbly said of the interception. "This is bigger than me; it's about the team. That play will not help on Sunday night."
Butler has always stayed pretty even-keeled about the interception, and understands what it has done for him and his career. But he also knows that without all the hard work before and after, his career would not have gone anywhere.
"You want to keep working and take advantage of the opportunity while you have it," he said. "You don't get to play that long and being productive for your team and do anything to help them win."
He may have had Russell Wilson's number that evening, but Butler is preparing for a tough battle come Sunday night at Gillette.
"They're a great team with a great quarterback, good receivers," he said of the Seahawks. "We have to be ready to play. They're one of the best teams in the NFL and we have to be ready to compete for 60 minutes."
Playing that full 60 is a lesson he learned 20 months ago on the NFL's biggest stage, and one that continues to drive him each week he's on the field.
