Cowboys Set for a Breakout Season: Victor Butler
With most of the Dallas Cowboy world still focused on the 2012 NFL Draft, I decided to take a look at a few players already on the roster who should be able to make more of an impact in 2012. In part 1, I discussed Raymond Radway’s potential to make a contribution in 2012. This article will take a look at Victor Butler. SportDFW did an exclusive interview earlier this year with Butler; you can read that here. You should follow him on Twitter, @Victor_Butler57 – he gives away a ton of Cowboys stuff.
There are several reasons to believe that Victor Butler is poised to have his best year playing ever for the Dallas Cowboys defense, including:
1. He, along with all of this teammates, will have a full offseason to learn Rob Ryan’s defense. Rob Ryan is known for many things, but he is renowned for devising unique packages and plays to fit the special talents of each of his players. Ryan will find a way to maximize Victor Butler’s considerable skills.
2. Although Butler is entering his 4th season in the NFL, he is relatively young at 24 years old. He is still getting better. He has improved every year. Butler has never been the starter at OLB, but at 24 years of age, he should continue to improve with more playing time and game experience.
3. Butler has shown flashes of being a difference maker on the defense, even when he was limited to a situational role. He is arguably the best pure pass-rusher on the roster not named DeMarcus Ware. He showed a knack for making big plays, whether it was a tackle, a sack, or just getting pressure on the QB, on important 3rd downs last season.
4. Butler has excelled in limited opportunities playing behind DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. When you look at the production Butler had compared to the number of snaps he played, the results are noteworthy.
Butler played 209 snaps in 2011; he registered 3.0 sacks and nine quarterback pressures.
Spencer played 920 snaps; he had 6 sacks and 31 pressure.
Ware played 870 snaps; he had 19.5 sacks and 40 pressures. (stats from dc.com)
Butler averaged a sack or QB pressure every 17.4 plays, Spencer (obviously asked to do a lot more than rush the QB) averaged one every 24.8 plays, Ware every 14.6 plays. Being anywhere in the neighborhood of DeMarcus Ware-like stats when it comes to rushing the passer is impressive.
If Butler can maintain that pace of disrupting the QB while playing more snaps, his impact on the defense would be enormous (quite close to Ware-like).
5. After interviewing Victor Butler recently, I can tell you that he is training his ass off this offseason. This guy oozes determination and dedication. He has acute tunnel vision: he is focused solely on becoming a better football player.
The following question and answer illustrate the attitude I am trying to describe:
Sport DFW: What do you do to relax and enjoy yourself in the off-season?
Victor Butler: Training, right now with Athletes Performance Inc. and I also mix it up and do MMA training and yoga. I train all throughout the offseason, I can relax when I retire.
It is impossible to believe that a person could be that motivated to refining their craft and not significantly improve.
Expect Victor Butler to be stronger, faster, and have more endurance this season.
6. At the time of writing, it was looking more and more like the Cowboys were not going to work out a long-term deal with Spencer. If they don’t sign Spencer to a new deal, he will earn 8.8 million this year. It is hard to imagine the Cowboys paying that much money for more than a single year. If Spencer is not signed to a new contract before the season starts, they will be looking to find his replacement for 2013.
The Cowboys would love for Victor Butler to prove that he can be a full-time starter opposite DeMarcus Ware; hence, he will likely be given the opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of doing. As suggested above, if he can stay any where near as productive getting pressure on opposing QB’s as he was last season, playing more snaps should translate to making more plays that have a significant impact on the games.
Of course, replacing Anthony Spencer will require a lot more than simply rushing the passer. Victor Butler has already proved that he is an extremely effective pass-rusher when utilized in passing situations. The skills that will ultimately determine his role on this defense are the ones that Spencer does so well: defend against the run, cover RB’s in the flat, cover TE’s, etc.
Don’t forget that Butler did play close to half his snaps last year in run support and/or pass coverage, so it is not as if he has been utilized purely as a pass-rusher.
My intuition tells me that Victor Butler is aware of what it will take for him to expand his role on this team, and that his offseason training was planned around improving the skills and abilities needed to excel in all aspects of the OLB position.
7. The addition of Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr instantly make the secondary significantly better than last year. An improved secondary will give pass-rushers like Victor Butler more time to get to the QB. Similarly, having corners that can play man coverage effectively will allow Rob Ryan to blitz far more frequently. Victor Butler will be one of the Dallas Cowboys who benefit from the ability to blitz players more often.
Look for Victor Butler to earn more playing time and continue to exploit every opportunity he is given.
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