London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

[mchurchfie]

Discuss?

[OpIv37]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

he makes a lot of tackles but doesn't make big plays. He looks great when he's next to Spikes and the O is too busy to bother with him. He doesn't look great when he's the No. 1 LB on the field and it's easy to block or avoid him.

[mchurchfie]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

he makes a lot of tackles but doesn't make big plays. He looks great when he's next to Spikes and the O is too busy to bother with him. He doesn't look great when he's the No. 1 LB on the field and it's easy to block or avoid him.

Good points, everyone seems to defend him alot because they are enamoured with his tackle stats but I've seen him blow a lot of big plays. The middle linebacker is "Da Man" in this kind of defense, he has the best opportunity to make the most impact plays on the field. He barely ever does that and is usually tackling 8 yards downfield. Of course it is all of our small DE's faults, nothing to do with him. He couldn't hold a candle to Sam Cowart or Shane Conlan's butts.

[JefftheBillsfan]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

ill say this, he is not ever going to be a good at shedding blockers, so as long as we have trouble at DT, we will have a problem at MLB.

[mchurchfie]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

At some point whether the DEs are playing good or not a middle LB is going to make a good play. I can't even remember the last time I saw him making a tackle in the opponent's backfield. Great players make great plays no matter what the circumstances.

[vicmantak]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

London is still good enough to be missed in St. Louis but he cannot be compared with Jim Hasslett, Shane Conlan, Sam Cowart (before his achilles tendon injury...) and someone who can still help the Buffalo Bills: CHRIS SPIELMAN.

In summary, London Fletcher is an above average leader (top 15) who can still do big plays... but for sure, Spike's injury not only hurt himself...

[ParanoidAndroid]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

ill say this, he is not ever going to be a good at shedding blockers, so as long as we have trouble at DT, we will have a problem at MLB.

Exactly! He has been playing behind very good D-lines and running free to RB's in past years.
This year he's getting pushed around by FB's and O-linemen.
He's also clearly slowing down.
He's done very well here and I hate to see him struggling, but that just happens to MLB's as well as RB's. One year they are great and the next, their bodies are beaten. I guess cortisone shots only work for so long.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

Apparently you missed the thread where most everyone here is worshiping likenesses of London.

Many are building the London Fletcher room in the HOF. Right next to the Tedi Bruschi wing.

[Stewie]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

ill say this, he is not ever going to be a good at shedding blockers, so as long as we have trouble at DT, we will have a problem at MLB.

Exactly. I'm pretty sure everyone in the NFL knows this about him. To be fair, the guy is 5'9". How are you supposed to get a 6'5" guy off you when you're 5'9"? Their arms are as long as your legs, for christ sakes!

You want to see fletch make more plays next to the line of scrimmage, draft a 350lb d- tackle in the first and fourth rounds in next year's draft.

(And IMO, draft offensive linemen with all the picks in between.. but thats neither here nor there...)

[HHURRICANE]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

At some point whether the DEs are playing good or not a middle LB is going to make a good play. I can't even remember the last time I saw him making a tackle in the opponent's backfield. Great players make great plays no matter what the circumstances.

I'll tell you this, if a running back gets anywhere near his hands when he is lying flat on his stomach, than look out. Shoe string tackles galore!! They are going to put his name on the wall of fame next to Leon Seals!!

[colin]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

what has killed me about london this year has been his horrible angles in pursuit.

short passes to RBs make him useless, he never gets there to smack them on the catch, and consistantly runs right after them instead of taking an angle and just gets beat.

when he is back, spikes should be our MLB, where he has been great before.

posey spikes and crowell would be a freakish LB core.

all can cover, all can run, and all are BIG.

those guys would shut down runs big time

[OpIv37]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

posey spikes and crowell would be a freakish LB core.

I'm not sold on Posey either. it seems that he NEVER gets his name called in games. He maybe has 3 sacks in 3 seasons, no INT's that I can recall, no tipped passes/knockdowns that I can recall.

[Mr. Cynical]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

IMO, Fletch is too slow to make up for any mistakes he makes when guessing direction or reacting. I've seen it a dozen times where he is grabbing air while the RB zips by.

[gr8slayer]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

I'm not sold on Posey either. it seems that he NEVER gets his name called in games. He maybe has 3 sacks in 3 seasons, no INT's that I can recall, no tipped passes/knockdowns that I can recall.

Posey had two that I can think of last year. (INT's)

[ParanoidAndroid]

Re: London Fletcher is a washed up bum.

Posey had two that I can think of last year. (INT's)

DEFENSIVE STATS

Year	Team	G	Total	Tckl	Ast	Sacks	Int	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD	Pass Def
1998	San Francisco 49ers	16	21	18.0	3	0.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
1999	San Francisco 49ers	16	20	16.0	4	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	2
2000	San Francisco 49ers	16	43	27.0	16	0.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	2
2001	Jacksonville Jaguars	11	18	16.0	2	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
2002	Houston Texans	16	65	49.0	16	8	1	0	0.0	0	0	5
2003	Buffalo Bills	16	63	37.0	26	5.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
2004	Buffalo Bills	16	65	39.0	26	1	1	3	3.0	3	0	0
2005	Buffalo Bills	8	30	18.0	12	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
TOTAL		115	325	220.0	105	17.5	2	3	1.5	3	0	10

He hasn't been rushing the passer much, but he's been solid. These numbers are good for a Will linebacker in a 4-3. Not spectacular, but solid.