Eric Rowe didn’t know he was starting ahead of time. He didn’t know he would play almost every snap. He didn’t know Malcolm Butler wouldn’t play on defense.

“No, that wasn’t the plan,” Rowe said, via postgame quotes distributed by the league.

While Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia insisted that Butler was benched strictly for football reasons, something smells fishy.

Rowe played in only eight games this season and started only three. Butler started 15 of 16 regular-season games. He played every snap of the first two playoff games, while Rowe played 98 of the 141 snaps.

Once the game started and Butler stood on the sideline with his helmet on the entire game, it became clear why Butler wept during the national anthem.

“It wasn’t official until kickoff,” Rowe said when asked when he found out he would start. “. . . I feel for [Butler].”

Rowe did not play well Sunday night. He made four tackles and defensed two passes and repeatedly was beaten as the Eagles rolled to 538 yards, including 374 passing yards.

“Very frustrating,” Rowe said. “Obviously on the biggest stage. It is not like a regular-season game where you are like, ‘OK, we will bounce back.’ This was it.”

Pending trade to the Bears

Yeah, extremely weird. Then again, gotta remain loyal to the Empire.

Belichick may have cost them a SB.

If you hate Laurence, then don't listen - don't comment. When he co-hosts the B&B show, take that day off ... listen to an old podcast of a Bernstein solo show and jerk off all day.

Between this and deciding not to put Gilmore on Alshon from the get go...bad day for Belichick and Patricia. I also don't get how you blow the coverage so badly on that Foles TD catch. You ran the same damn play earlier in the game.

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

Between this and deciding not to put Gilmore on Alshon from the get go...bad day for Belichick and Patricia. I also don't get how you blow the coverage so badly on that Foles TD catch. You ran the same damn play earlier in the game.

Lions fans looking at that Patrcia defense like...

we just found the one person in the world not on the eagles staff that saw that play coming

If you hate Laurence, then don't listen - don't comment. When he co-hosts the B&B show, take that day off ... listen to an old podcast of a Bernstein solo show and jerk off all day.

Lions fans looking at that Patrcia defense like...

He looks like a good yeller.

Lions fans looking at that Patrcia defense like...

I just don't know how anyone can say with a straight face that Matt Patricia is a better choice for the Lions than Jim Caldwell.

I just don't know how anyone can say with a straight face that Matt Patricia is a better choice for the Lions than Jim Caldwell.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

Because Caldwell is terrible.

No idea if Patricia will be better or not, but it is not a high bar to clear.

Caldwell was 36-28 in four seasons in Detroit with a playoff appearance. I'm not sure if you can define that as terrible, especially for the Lions franchise.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

A great example of why overall record is not an end all for how good or bad a coach is.

How do you evaluate coaches? By height? No offense but that is some 'Rube shit right there.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.