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July 24, 2019

Butler Eyeing A Return To Big Stage

The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Calgary Stampeders CFL action on June 10th, 2017 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK. Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella

He brings experience to a defence looking to re-gain some confidence as the stretch drive beckons. More importantly: experience on the big stage. Scan the football resume of Crezdon Butler and pick your poison. There is the high school state championship as well as both defensive and offensive MVP honours at Asheville (North Carolina) High School.

His tenure at Clemson included an impressive freshman outing against Calvin Johnson’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and a victory over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.  This was before the program was winning national titles and it perhaps set the stage for future dominance. Yet Butler’s favourite memory took place in 2015 as a member of the Detroit Lions. He lights up when recalling how he helped that franchise beat the rival Packers at Lambeau Field for the first time since 1991.

“I had gotten released in training camp and brought back in week seven,” remembers the BC Lions’ new cornerback.

“I wasn’t expecting to play in Green Bay, but I ended up dressing. Then two defensive guys went down on back -to- back plays and all of a sudden I’m in there trying to prevent them from tying the game on a two-point convert. So I came in and they took a timeout. You could tell Aaron Rodgers was scheming and thinking he had someone out there who hadn’t played. They came at me and I knocked the ball away.”

Breaking up that throw to Devonte Adams and preserving the 18-16 win would be the defining moment of Butler’s NFL tenure, one that lasted seven seasons and saw him suit up for no less than seven teams.

After 26 appearances in Saskatchewan and getting cut loose by Toronto earlier this month, he is happy to be here with the chance to play a huge role.

“It feels good to be on the football field again. Sitting at home is kind of stressful because you see guys out there ballin’ and you want to get out there,” said Butler after his second full day of practice.

“It’s just the mentality (that made me want to come). I played against Claybrooks. I’ve seen how his defence is run and how aggressive they are. You want to be a part of something like that. Regardless of what the record is, it’s going to switch over soon.”

 

Another reason that made the decision easy to go back to the orange colours was fellow Clemson alum Garry Peters. Although they never played together with the Tigers, the pair is close and has spent the last couple offseasons as workout buddies in their offseason home of Atlanta. Knowing each other’s tendencies could provide a nice little advantage for them and the secondary.

“It is fun to be with him and have somebody that you look up to and have watched playing for a lot of years,” said Peters.

“Not only are we teammates, but we’re friends as well. It’s always great to play with someone like that.”

And you’d have to forgive Butler for feeling a little nostalgic should he, in fact, be making his Lions debut against his old team on Saturday. Flashback to 2017 when these same two teams were playing a huge home and home series and the Lions won the first one convincingly, dropping the Riders to 2-4, only to go to Regina and get beaten handily by Butler, Duron Carter and company the very next week. We all remember what happened.

The Riders, with Butler as a mainstay in the secondary in Chris Jones’ ball-hawking defence, used it as a springboard to turning their season and around and making the playoffs while the Lions missed for the first time in over two decades. It begs the question: does see similarities between his new team and that squad from two seasons ago?

“I think it’s very similar. All you need is one win,” explained Butler.

“That’s how we took it after you guys put it on us and then you could see how it shifted when we won the next game. We needed that one win and to feel victory but also feel how we could dominate. That’s where we are right now. We want that one win but it can’t be a squeak out win. It’s got to be something where we dominate the game.”

It’s the winning mentality he has possessed ever since he first took up the game in Asheville as a youngster.

“I played some other sports like track and basketball, but it was a football town through and through,” said Butler of his youth.

“High school was a memorable time of my career. I still have the trophy and the ring.”

Yet you can tell he’s itching for more of that big stage experience. It’s too early to proclaim anything, but maybe it’s just what the defensive doctor ordered before the playoff race really heats up.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com