It has been weeks since the New England Patriots were upset by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. Yet there is still plenty of confusion regarding some of the factors that attributed to their loss. Among the most notable was the lack of playing time for cornerback Malcolm Butler.

Safety Devin McCourty suggested that the whole team knew Butler was not going to start prior to the game. However, defensive tackle Alan Branch said during an appearance on Dale & Holley with Keefe that he had no idea his teammate would not be playing.

“I didn’t know anything, honestly,” Branch said. “On our team, gossip doesn’t travel.”

“I noticed he wasn’t in the game, but then again you never know the reason for what is going on at certain times in that organization, especially. It’s neither here nor there.”

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It is a bit perplexing to see two teammates give conflicting reports of the situation, especially as members of the defense. Then again, Branch had been a healthy inactive down the final stretch of the 2017 NFL season and playoffs so news about Butler's situation was not completely relevant to him at the time.

It goes without saying that McCourty may have certainly been in the loop more than Branch was going into the biggest game of the season. Not only was he inactive, but Branch is not even part of the same position group as Butler. Furthermore, one would be hard-pressed to imagine head coach Bill Belichick going out of his way to let the entire team know of their controversial decision.

Regardless, the conflicting reports only raise further questions about Belichick's decision to essentially relegate Butler to purely special teams. The former undrafted free agent out of West Alabama made his bones for his heroics during Super Bowl XLIX. Needless to say, the Patriots could have used a little Butler magic this time around against the Eagles.