Whenever we talk about the 1996 Green Bay Packers crew, Brett Favre is usually the prime name you hear. Reggie White also has a place too. But LeRoy Butler also deserves to be a part of that conversation. He was not the loudest star on the team. But he was surely the life of its defense
The Packers beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre was getting most of the attention, but Butler was having a really good season of his own.
LeRoy Butler Was The Kind Of Safety Green Bay Could Use Anywhere
Pro Football Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler shares his Draft Day story during a stop on the Business of the NFL Draft Tour in Neenah, Wis. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Representatives from the Packers, Travel Wisconsin, Discover Green Bay, New North, and PMI are on a two-day tour around the state to promote the draft and share ideas with businesses and organizations on how to prepare for the influx of visitors that will be visiting Wisconsin and Green Bay in April 2025.
The Packers acquired LeRoy Butler in the second round in 1990. He started his career at CB before Ray Rhodes moved him to safety in 1992. That move worked out pretty well for Green Bay. Butler had six interceptions in 1993, made his first Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors. Then Fritz Shurmur started finding more ways to get him involved.
Instead of keeping Butler deep in the secondary, Shurmur often moved him closer to the line. Butler could blitz, cover a receiver, help stop the run and still drop back when needed. That made him tough for QBs to read.
Butter’s 1996 performance proves why his presence was important. The veteran started all 16 games and finished with 87 tackles, five interceptions, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He also returned one INT 90 yards for a TD.
Reggie White led the Packers with 8.5 sacks that season. And Eugene Robinson had a team-high six interceptions. Butler and Doug Evans each had five picks. So Butler was making plays in both areas. He was not just sitting back and waiting for the ball to come his way.
He also got to Drew Bledsoe in Super Bowl XXXI on Jan. 26, 1997, bringing down the Pats’ QB for a sack during Green Bay's 35-21 victory.
Shurmur later talked about Butler in the Packers' Nov. 10, 2022, feature on his career. His description was pretty simple: “Blitzes. Sacks. Exceptional run player. Makes interceptions.” It was a short list, but it pretty much summed up Butler's game.
That is the part of the 1996 Packers story that can get lost. Favre was the face of the team, and White was a huge name on defense, but Butler gave Green Bay another player offenses had to worry about on every snap. His ability to move around made an already strong defense even harder to figure out.
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