The Tennessee Titans made quite the splash in free agency yesterday when they announced that they would be signing cornerback Malcolm Butler and running back Dion Lewis, both former Patriots (New England South, y’all). Thankfully, our buddy Ben happens to be a big Pats fan and was happy to reach out and share his perspective on both players. Major shout out to @BostonNooga for giving us Titans fans a little inside scoop.
Malcolm Butler
“He was…pretty good but slightly overrated? Don’t get me wrong. The interception in the Super Bowl was beautiful and wonderful and made me cry tears of joy. But, if you take out that one play, he was a slightly above-average CB. He’ll make big plays, but he will get burnt a lot, especially by bigger or faster receivers.
He had a very good 2016 (and for Titans fans, he plays very well with Logan Ryan), but fell off a cliff in 2017. He gave up 60 catches on 101 targets, for 814 yards and eight touchdowns this year. To compare, Stephon Gilmore gave up 48/82, 610 yards and only three touchdowns.
Also, there were always rumors of him being a bad chemistry guy, even before the Super Bowl benching. Butler was expecting to sign a big contract before the 2017 season, but the Pats threw that money at Gilmore instead, and from many accounts, Butler basically sulked the whole year because of it. However, that might improve for the Titans because he’s paid now.
Regarding the Super Bowl benching, no one is really sure of the exact reason why, but it also wouldn’t have been surprising if it was performance-based. Butler had a terrible playoffs this past year, and with the Eagles starting all big wide receivers, one could have made the argument that he would’ve been a liability on the field. I’ll miss him for the Super Bowl interception and for 2016, but honestly, he did more harm than good in 2017.”
Dion Lewis
“Pats fans absolutely loved this guy. He’s not especially big or fast or does any one thing exceptionally well, but he just knows what to do to win.
There was a span where the Patriots went undefeated in something like 19 straight games that he played in. In a word, he’s efficient.
There’s a reason Lewis led the entire league in DYAR this year over guys like Alvin Kamara, Todd Gurley and LeVeon Bell. If it’s 2nd and 8, he’ll get you 9. If it’s 3rd and 3, he’ll get you 5. Need a solid kick return, he’ll get you one of those too.
Lewis plays at his best in big games too, including almost single-handedly winning the Pats a playoff game against Houston where he scored on a kick return, a reception, and a carry. I’m gonna miss the hell out of the guy.”
Big Natural’s Thoughts
I know Butler’s heralded for basically winning that Super Bowl, but judging from the Pats fans I follow on Twitter, kinda got the sense he was a tad overrated. Or, at the very least, Pats fans were growing tired of hearing him held in the same regard as the NFL’s elite corners. So, I’m not too surprised to hear Ben’s thoughts there. The Titans threw the money bag at him, so we’ll see how it pans out, but I’m a little leery of that dollar amount.
What did surprise me was Ben’s take on Lewis. I feel kind of bad – like, everyone in Nashville is celebrating this move and here’s ol’ Big Natural saying, “wait, guys – can he stay healthy? Is he really good enough to warrant that kind of money?” Well, Ben’s case for Lewis makes me feel a lot better about it. I’m starting to realize I’m just being a contrarian because I, quite frankly, don’t know too much about the severity of the injuries Lewis has sustained in his career, and that I didn’t get my guy.
Regardless of what this no-name Titans blogger thinks, these two signings could define the next couple of years in Titans history based on how they play on the field and how those salaries effect the cap. We’ll see.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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