Today, the very popular Washington Redskins Linebacker, London Fletcher announced that he is unlikely to return to Pro Football next season. His success in the National Football League was not expected, as the undersized player (he is only five foot ten) played in tiny Division III, John Carroll University, where he was named the Division III Linebacker of the Year.
In 1998, he went undrafted, but was invited to the ST. Louis Rams training camp, where he made the opening day roster and played mostly in reserve capacity, though he did play in all in 16 games and was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. The following season, he became the Rams starting Middle Linebacker and would begin a career of incredible durability starting over 200 games and overall would become one of the true Iron Mans of the sport as he is one of only four players to appear in over 250 consecutive games, and the only Linebacker to achieve this mark. 1999 would prove to be the season where he would earn his sole Super Bowl Ring, helping St. Louis capture Super Bowl XXXIV.
The Rams were not known for their defence, but it was widely believed that Fletcher was a big part of keeping them respectable. They would appear in Super Bowl XXXVI, though this time in a losing effort.
Fletcher moved on the Buffalo Bills in 2003 as a restricted Free Agent, and while there he saw his tackling numbers increase as he netted 495 over a five year period while assisting on another 234.
After Buffalo, he signed with the Washington Redskins and though he was already a well respected player, it was in Washington that he finally made his first Pro Bowl (and would be named to four in a row) and was named in 2011 and 2012 to the Associated Press Second Team All Pro squad.
Outside of Football, Fletcher was known as a community leader and has always been praised for his charitable work. In 2012, he won the Bart Starr Award exemplifying outstanding character in the home, the field and the community. He was also nominated many times for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award which honors a player’s charitable work as well as his on field leadership.
The question we always ask here once a player announces his retirement, is does he belong in their respective Hall of Fame, and with London Fletcher there are some very strong points to consider.
Generally, the Football Hall of Fame has players who were at least a First Team All Pro once, which Fletcher never achieved and essentially he was never considered at any time in his career to be the best player in his position, with the possible exception when he was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month in 2012.
You can argue that he “only” made four Pro Bowls, but he was an alternate so many times that while he may never been considered the top guy, he was in that lower tier of the top ten; a status he held for probably ten years. He is second All Time in Combined Tackles, and led the NFL in that category once in 2011. Fletcher is one of the few men to be a part of the 20/20 club (Sacks & Interceptions) and being the All Time leader in Games Played for a Linebacker has to be respected.
The case of London Fletcher is not one of a stat compiler, but that of a player who was very good for a long time in the most punishing sport in North America. Normally, a player in Canton has to be considered amongst the elite; but we think a very strong case can be made for someone who was so close for so long. We would love to hear your thoughts on this one.
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