Loading ...
As the Washington Redskins began preparations for their Week 16 game versus the Dallas Cowboys, the media gathered for the regular mid-week press conferences. What was IR-regular was that middle linebacker London Fletcher took to the podium and announced that he will more than likely be playing his last game at FEDEX Field this weekend. The John Carroll University alumnus has been a leader in the locker room since late in 2006 when he was brought in as a free agent from the St. Louis Rams. For all who have been involved with the Redskins, it’s going to be strange not having him around.
“I really didn’t know,” head coach Mike Shanahan said about the announcement by Fletcher today. “I really didn’t know if he was going to do that or not. I wasn’t expecting it, no, but he did come into me and say something to me.”
There are two more games left in this difficult season for the Redskins. If — or perhaps ‘when’ is more appropriate — Fletcher takes the field on December 29, 2013 against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, he will have played in 256 consecutive games. Amazing.
“I wanted to look at this opportunity to let the fans know that this will more than likely be my last season in the National Football League,” Fletcher said (wearing a casual post-practice T-shirt rather than the suit and tie folks are used to seeing in a “retirement” presser). “With this being the final home game, I wanted to definitely get an opportunity to say goodbye to the burgundy and gold faithful. The fans at FedEx have been so graceful to me since my seven years here in Washington. Again, I’m about 99 percent certain that this will be my last season in the National Football League. I’ve got to leave at least one percent just in case I change my mind, but it’s really just about having another conversation with my wife. But I just thought with this being the final home game, this being Dallas Cowboy week, an opportunity to go out in a bang, get the fans riled up, say thank you to them and beat the Cowboys. What better way to end it?”
Much has been said about Fletcher’s lack of impact this season. At 38-years-old and with the sheer number of games under his belt, this is no surprise. In his career, he has had 39 sacks, 23 interceptions for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and 85 passes defended. There has been 19 forced fumbles of which he recovered 12 with one of those resulting in a touchdown. My favorite stat is the 1,378 tackles the man has made in his 16 years in the NFL.
Despite his lack of production in 2013 (at 58 tackles so far this season, he is on pace for his lowest number in a season — 61.8 — since his rookie year), “Fletch” remains the quarterback of the defense and his presence in the locker room has been invaluable. As a photographer covering the Redskins, I have been privileged to be nearby in the FEDEX tunnel a few times as Fletcher gave his teammates his pre-game speech. I will forever be grateful for there is nothing like it. The man is a serious motivator and the eloquence with which he speaks — especially in a situation like that — is amazing. There were times that I was ready to run out on that field.
Fletcher was asked about the memories he has of his time here in Washington.
“There are several memories,” he said as he thought. “You’re talking about seven seasons here. My first season here… obviously, that was the year Sean Taylor passed. So the dynamics of that… dealing with that… the emotions of when we took the field with 10 guys on the field just as a tribute to Sean… playing and losing that game…
“But then going on the run that we were able to go on in that ’07 season to make it into the playoffs… Last year was very special to me. When you look at where we were at — at one point 3-6 — you know everybody had written us off. And to be able to get on that run… I thought the way we rallied around each other as a team; just the attention to detail, the focus, how guys really just locked in, the way Coach Shanahan managed the team and stood in front of them and really mapped out the plan that we were going to go on to win those seven games. When it came to fruition… that feeling when we beat the Cowboys at that 16th game of the season… that last game of the season… and finally our goal was achieved. Just the moment, the excitement, the euphoria we felt as a football team to know we had done something really special… that stands out as well.”
The news of this likely being Fletcher’s last season with Washington made news all over the league.
“An unbelievable football player,” Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett said of the middle linebacker. “I’ve competed against him for a long, long time and he just is an outstanding player. He’s everything that the NFL wants in a player. He just has played the game the right way and been such a productive guy, a great team leader, and someone I just have the utmost respect for.”
The news of the likely retirement of the linebacker has been heard around the league. Cowboys’ Defensive End DeMarcus Ware has a lot of respect for Fletcher.
“When you think about a guy,” Ware said Wednesday during the media’s conference call with him, “the leadership he really brings to that team and how he’s been consistently one of the top tacklers in the league every single year… it just shows how hard his offseason work has been and how much dedication he’s had to the team. He’s been a great team player.”
Shanahan didn’t facilitate London coming to Washington but the head coach was lucky to have inherited him.
“I know from my perspective,” the elder Shanahan said today, “I’ve been around a lot of great players and when I say this, that I’ve never been around someone that prepares like he does, that’s saying a lot, because I’ve been around a lot of great players. And it’s the biggest compliment that I can give somebody that every time he comes to work that everybody knows that he’s going to prepare like it’s the Super Bowl. And that is hard to do, especially at the position that he plays because mentally and physically it’s draining. For him to have that mindset for as long as he has and to not miss a game speaks volumes to who he is.”
London Fletcher just may well be the best free agent signing of the Dan Snyder era in Washington.
Thank you, London, for all the highlights and tackles; for all of the great pre-game speeches, for your leadership in the locker room and your work in the community. You will forever be thought of as a Washington Redskin and will be sorely missed
* * * * * * * * * *
Redskins’ backup quarterback Kirk Cousins accounted for three of the seven turnovers that Washington committed against the Atlanta Falcons last week — throwing two interceptions and fumbling once — but he did play well. The QB showed a pocket poise and self-assurance under pressure which, no doubt comes from running the pro-style offense that his alma mater (Michigan State) runs. Having the benefit of first- team reps last week helped of course. Going now into his second week of preparation, he should only get better. Of course, Atlanta did not present a great defensive challenge. But it is a professional football team… that Cousins played well should not be discounted.
One would think that Dallas’ defense is not great either if opinion is based off of game film from the loss to the Green Bay Packers last week. But it would be dangerous to discount it as well.
Cousins is well aware of how helpful it will be this week to practice again with the first team.
“Well, it’s very helpful to get reps,” he said during the press conference Wednesday. “I find that I walk off the practice field today and last week and have a much greater confidence as to my preparedness for that coming game because of the reps I’m able to get during practice. As a backup, you still have to be ready. There’s no excuse if you don’t play well and have to go in. So you still have to be ready in that role too, you just don’t have the reps that you need. I do feel much more prepared because of reps.”
Shanahan feels his back-up-moved-to-starting quarterback will handle the pressure of starting this week — Dallas Week — just fine.
“I think pressure is good,” the head coach said. “There’s nothing wrong with pressure because sooner or later you’re going to get that pressure. Some people embrace it, other people run from it. I think Kirk is a guy that embraces it, and the only way you feel good about embracing pressure is you have to be prepared. I think Kirk does feel like he’s prepared, but you’ve still got to go out there and do it on game day. A lot of pressure is involved as you just talked about or we just talked about, but to me, that’s what defines quarterbacks – how they handle the pressure.”
Despite the Cowboys’ bad showing against the Pack last Sunday (Dallas had the game in hand going into half-time, ahead 26-3. But Green Bay scored 34 points in the second half – to Dallas’ 10 – and the Cowboys lost 37-36), they cannot be taken for granted. Playing the division rival twice a year, every year, makes this game different from playing any team not in the NFC East. With all of the distractions the team has been dealing with recently, it’s going to be even more important to take the challenge seriously. The Cowboys are coming off of their own ugly loss and trying to get ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East by winning out. They are under a lot of pressure.
For Washington, one only has to know that it’s DALLAS WEEK. It never gets old, regardless of Washington’s (3-11) record.
“For me, I really do believe that it’s about our fan base, and our fans want nothing more than for us to beat Dallas,” Cousins said today. “That game means so much to them, especially here at home. Dallas has a lot on the line. It is a major rivalry game. I’ve played in a lot of rivalry games before and it’s a great opportunity to go into a rivalry game and get a win and give our fan base something to feel good about, so there is a lot to play for.”
Shanahan believes his entire team will be able to ignore the “noise.”
“I don’t think there’s as much noise as you think there is,” Shanahan explained. “I think our players are really concentrated on their job. They know that their jobs are determined if they play well. A lot of times we’ll look at, or I’ve looked at in the past, the last two or three games of different team sand see how people do play when they’re not in the playoff hunt. It’s easy to see when they’re playing for a playoff spot; you’re usually getting everybody’s best shot. But maybe when you’re not in the playoff hunt exactly, what’s the character of this kid all about? You’ll see it when people aren’t playing for playoff spots, exactly what they’re made of.”
For what it’s worth, Fletcher game his head coach a verbal “thumbs up” before leaving the podium Wednesday. I wonder if Dan Snyder will take it into account.
“The way I look at it is totally different, and I’ve thought about this and contemplated a lot” the iron man said. “You know thinking about… obviously with the last couple of weeks with everything that’s happened… with the whole speculations and everybody throwing their hat into what they may or may not think is going to happen with Coach Shanahan and the team after this season’s over with… the way I look at it, I think Coach Shanahan is a great coach. Any player who’s played for him… most guys — probably 95 percent of the guys who’ve played for him — would love playing for him. And as I look at the current situation, I think Coach Shanahan is definitely the right guy. I think Mr. Snyder would be wise to let him see this thing through.
“Obviously there’s going to have to be some changes made because when you’re — right now, we’ve won three ball games and even if we win these next two we will have five games s— so there is change that needs to take place. But I don’t think it needs to be with the head coach. I feel like he’s the right guy for it. I think Coach Shanahan will have to have a conversation with Mr. Snyder at the end of the year. Let them get some time — maybe a week or two — let the season get past them and let them two just get into a room and really say, ‘Hey, what’s the situation? How do we move forward? How do we get this thing right?’
“One of the things that hasn’t happened around here in Washington since Mr. Snyder’s owned this football team, there’s been no stability at the head coach position. You’re talking about — I think now — [we’re] on the seventh head coach in what, 14 years I think, since he’s owned the team? Sometimes when I look at — and study — the winning franchises… the perennial winning franchises; talking about New England, Pittsburgh, teams like that, Green Bay, even Baltimore now – they have a sense of stability. They have a plan that they have [and] they stick with it. And I think with this being said, Coach Shanahan is the right guy. He’s going to have to. You can’t stay status quo in every area of your football team. They’ll have money to spend this offseason, which you’ll have some personnel changes. That’s just the National Football League. He’ll address every situation and go from there. I also think it’ll be hard to do with just one year left on his deal. You’re looking at a coach as a one-year deal, I mean most people would be like, ‘Is he a lame duck?’ I think [Snyder] should extend him, as crazy as that may sound. But I think you extend him to let him continue to build this thing the right way.”
Washington’s players, though not winning games, have been playing hard considering all of the issues they’ve had to deal with. It’s pretty amazing, really, and a testament to their character. It’s hard to know what to believe and what not to believe of everything coming out of Ashburn, especially when taking what the head coach is saying at face value.
Ah, Dallas Week. This time last year, the Redskins had their fate in their hands and were playing for the division title themselves.
It would be nice to put aside all of the leaks, rumors and innuendo and just watch the two rivals go after each other. To come out of the contest with a win over their most hated division foe would be a soothing salve on a hurting Washington Redskins team right now.
Hail.
Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for Sports Journey Broadcast Network. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America and accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough
Leave a Reply