Butler is Mr. Consistency for Tech

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Entering his third season at Georgia Tech, cornerback Mario Butler has been fortunate enough to mostly stay out of one of the toughest places to avoid as a football player: the trainer’s room.

Any bump or any bruise, he’ll duck in, get a bag of ice, and walk out.

“I try to stay out of the trainer’s room because it’s a bad reputation to have,” said Butler, who is 6-foot-1, 182 pounds. “Plus, I just try to stay out on the field and be there for my teammates.”

And it’s not like Butler isn’t in harm’s way.

He started 13 games last season and made 41 tackles. The only injury he sustained came in the loss to Virginia Tech when he sprained his ankle. For that he saw the trainers, though he said didn’t want to, but he was back on the field the next week against Mississippi State and had four tackles.

“I pride myself on that toughness, trying to go out there and be tough on the field and try to attack to do whatever I can to help the team,” Butler said.

And his coaches and teammates have noticed. Coach Paul Johnson said that his health and consistency at the position “are a big deal.” Safety Dominique Reese, who returned to practice Monday after sitting out last week with a strained hamstring, said he’s trying to follow Butler’s example.

“He takes good care of himself off the field,” Reese said. “Always stays hydrated, always one of the first ones to stretch. I’m trying to do what he does so I can stay out of there [training room].”

Butler said he developed his toughness at Nease High School in Jacksonville, where he was teammates with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Butler said the two didn’t see each other much in the trainer’s room.

“The grind [there] is kind of like it is here,” Butler said. “Trying to incorporate what I did in high school in college and keep it going on.”

Halfway point

With 2-1/2 weeks of practices done, and 2-1/2 weeks remaining before the season opener against Jacksonville State on Sept. 5, Johnson offered this critique and forecast:

“We’ve had some good days and some not so good,” Johnson said. “We’ll finish up this week and get out next week and really lock into the game plan and start to cut back a little bit and really get ready for our opponents.”

He said that competition along the offensive line, particularly at center between Dan Voss and Sean Bedford, as well as on the defensive line, in the secondary and among the A-backs has been intense.

As for any players that have caught his eye, he said there’s been too much good work done as a whole to single any one out.