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gibbs4president wrote:OVERspending? I'm not sure about that...
gibbs4president wrote:You're just upset your own team couldn't get Ladell Betts from the Redskins... sorry about that...
gibbs4president wrote:beggars can't be choosers...
flecher is about 30 and he has a 5yr deal worth 25 million and a 10.5 million signing bonus.
nyjetsfan69 wrote:gibbs4president wrote:You're just upset your own team couldn't get Ladell Betts from the Redskins... sorry about that...
why would i want betts, a backup that fumbles a lot and isnt as good as michael turner or marshawn lynch. You guys would want vilma who is a top 3 lb in the 4-3 system
nyjetsfan69 wrote:gibbs4president wrote:OVERspending? I'm not sure about that...
flecher is about 30 and he has a 5yr deal worth 25 million and a 10.5 million signing bonus. Fletcher still isnt even that good
PulpExposure wrote:nyjetsfan69 wrote:gibbs4president wrote:OVERspending? I'm not sure about that...
flecher is about 30 and he has a 5yr deal worth 25 million and a 10.5 million signing bonus. Fletcher still isnt even that good
Don't you have anything better to do than troll a Skins board?
Go hang out on a jets board...
Skinsfan55 wrote:I can't believe how much I miss Smoot. I mean, I liked him as a player, but I didn't think I would want him back this much.
Who cares if he used a sex toy on a prostitute on a boat? He was colorful and effective here.
91SKINS wrote: Glad we got a MLB but over paid.
If anyone deserves a hefty raise this offseason, it's LB Fletcher
Someone is going to make a bundle in this year's free-agency, and here's hoping it's someone like London Fletcher.
The Buffalo Bills linebacker is more than one of the game's high-character guys. He's one of its most productive ones, too. He led the Bills in tackles last season. He led the team in tackles the season before that. And the season before that. Heck, he led his team in tackles the past eight seasons.
First, it was St. Louis. Then, it was Buffalo. And now? Well, that's where things get interesting. Fletcher becomes an unrestricted free agent Friday, and he is supposed to be out in Buffalo -- though he said his agent continues to negotiate with the Bills -- and in at Washington? Or was that Detroit? Both are among his most rumored destinations.
"Where did that come from?" asked Fletcher, house-hunting in Charlotte when I caught up to him.
When I told him, Fletcher laughed. He insisted he doesn't know where his next stop will be, but wherever it is, he expects it to be his last. He also said he knows what he wants from his next contract, and it's what most players on the verge of leaping into free-agency want.
Some people call it financial stability. Me? I call it a reward.
Which means London Fletcher is in the right place at the right time to collect it. With the salary cap jumping to $109 million per team, there are clubs galore with the cap room and the money to spend on unrestricted free agents. All they need is someone worth paying the big bucks, and I think we just found him.
"You want to win," Fletcher said. "Everyone wants to win. But it's a situation where you never know who's going to win the next year. Take New Orleans, for instance. Or St. Louis when I was there. The year before we won the Super Bowl we were 4-12.
"You never know from one year to the next who's going to be in the Super Bowl, but you can be pretty sure it won't be the preseason favorite. Obviously, there are some organizations that have better chances than others, and that's something I'm going to consider. But I'm not going to take significantly less because of it."
Fletcher shouldn't take significantly less from anyone. The guy can play, and, yeah, I know he turns 32 in May and has a body that absorbed nine years of punishment. But look what he did last season. He had 157 tackles. He led all linebackers with four interceptions. He scored twice, one of only seven defensive players with that on his resume.
But here's what I like most: He never missed a game. I mention that because he never missed a game in nine NFL seasons, and when I ask him what means more to him -- leading his team in tackles eight consecutive years or never sitting down -- Fletcher shifts into neutral.
"That's difficult to answer," he said. "Always being there on Sundays says something. I feel blessed to be able to say I will always be there because my teammates can depend on me and know that I will always be there. At the same time, leading the team in tackles means you're producing. They're equal to me, but I guess if I had to choose one, it would be not missing any games."
If I had to choose, it would be including this guy in my defense. He plays hard. He plays well. He's a leader, controlling his defense as coolly and confidently as Peyton Manning controls his offense. His character is unassailable. And he seldom makes mistakes. Don't ask me why he never was named to a Pro Bowl team. It makes no sense. And don't ask Fletcher, either.
"It's something I ask myself all the time," he said. "In my eight years as a starter in the NFL, there could have been four or five where I should have made it to the Pro Bowl and where I should've been a starter, in my opinion. But, for one reason or another, I haven't been recognized."
Well, then, let's start. Remember how I rattled off what he did last season? That was on the field. Off of it he was married one week after his mother died. Her burial was two days after the wedding. One day later, he attended minicamp. Two months later, his wife discovered she was pregnant. Then he lost his grandfather. Now this.
"2006 was eventful, to say the least," said Fletcher. "There were a lot of highs and lows."
One of the lows was a failure to gain a new contract from the Bills. The two sides negotiated before the season but failed to reach a settlement, and while that hurt Fletcher then, it might hurt the Bills more now. Fletcher is expected to gain a big check from another club and should join free-agent-to-be Nate Clements -- another productive starter for the Bills -- on the first plane out of town.
The knock on Fletcher, of course, is his age. As one GM told me, you probably have to take care of him in practice to make sure he still has his legs in December and January. OK, then, take care of them. Fletcher will take care of your defense.
A player personnel director mentioned that he was a little concerned about Fletcher's height (he's 5-feet-10), too, and how it might handicap him in coverage. All I know is that it didn't seem to handicap his ability to make interceptions last season.
"Obviously," said Fletcher, "I hope to accept a contract with multiple years that is reflective of a deal for an elite middle linebacker in the National Football League. I hope to get some stability. I hope the additional years at the end will allow me to walk away if I have a chance to; that will allow me to say after so many years that I gave and accomplished a lot. I have a strong belief in God, and I know I'll be taken care of."
He should be.
I agree I have a funny feeling Fletcher all of a sudden has some injury pop up. I hope I am wrong though.tcwest10 wrote:Houligan26 wrote:Chris Luva Luva wrote: I just want youth at the position and I'm weary of bringing in older players. The fact that its a lateral move in age, his injury history and knowledge of the system eases my mind a bit.
You aren't going to get youth. GW would never let a young guy be his mlb who hasn't seen his system. Fletcher is exactly what we need, he is a great leader, a sure tackler, and a durable player. Lets stop complaining about the cost of this move until it actually happens and we find out the exact numbers.
Same age as Marshall, a little smaller...but physically, beyond reproach. Fletcher has never missed a game due to injury in his career.
You can bet that streak will end here with us.
nyjetsfan69 wrote:gibbs4president wrote:You're just upset your own team couldn't get Ladell Betts from the Redskins... sorry about that...
why would i want betts, a backup that fumbles a lot and isnt as good as michael turner or marshawn lynch. You guys would want vilma who is a top 3 lb in the 4-3 system
1niksder wrote:91SKINS wrote: Glad we got a MLB but over paid.
Five years $25 million how is that over paying for a guy that will come in and start. He's a upgrade over Marshall and he didn't break the bank. Best I can tell he got the lowest signing bonues of any of the UFA that signed deals today.
Dangerfield wrote:Skinsfan55 wrote:I can't believe how much I miss Smoot. I mean, I liked him as a player, but I didn't think I would want him back this much.
Who cares if he used a sex toy on a prostitute on a boat? He was colorful and effective here.
Brilliant post. Says alot with few words. I'm with you, I feel dirty about having these thoughts, but I'm with you man.
I think the "Mouth of the South" is ready for a resurrection. Like a juvenile delinquent who ran from a harsh teacher, then came back so he could understand the Hemmingway book they made him read.
Smoot has returned (hopefully) to reach his potential under Gibbs.
Out....
Redskins Rule wrote: We didn't overpay for him though! Thats weird man!
