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Top 5 Defensive Plays vs The Vikings - London Fletcher Special!

It's usually tough to pick out our top 5 plays after a loss in which we conceded 33 points, but London Fletcher was all over the field making plays. Having somehow missed out on the Pro Bowl (seriously, how the F@#K does that happen?!) I thought we'd have a Fletcher special today. Here's London Fletcher's top 5 plays against the Vikings.

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This is Fletcher in his element. Play recognition is a big part of the reason why he's such a good player and gets so many tackles. He starts to run inside, but picks up on the leading blocker (The fullback, circled in red) change direction to go outside.

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Star-divide

Fletcher takes the outside angle on Gerhart, forcing him to go back inside where there's a lot of traffic.

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He gets low and stops Gerhart in his tracks as he only gains 1 yard on the play.

In this next play, you'll see Fletcher take on the lead blocker and peal off him to make the play on 3rd down.

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The Vikings motion Percy Harvin into the backfield to take a hand off, Fletcher is lined up on the line of scrimmage.

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Fletcher is much too good for this fullback, manipulating him so that he could make the play inside if Harvin continued inside.

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But Harvin bounces outside. Fletcher disengages the fullback quickly to make the play on Harvin, tackling him for just a 2 yard gain on what could have been potentially very dangerous if Harvin had gotten to open field.

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Now we have a 1st and goal from the 1. For the Vikings that means Adrian Peterson is getting the ball.

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Fletcher meats Peterson in the hole and just walls off the end zone. It's amazing to watch a running back on the goal line run full speed into Fletcher and just get stopped or even pushed back.

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Fletcher gets a little help from Rocky McIntosh to bring down Peterson after the initial contact, but Peterson fails to get in.

Here we have another red zone play.

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The amount of space Fletcher closes so quickly is amazing. He's 4 yards off the line of scrimmage here.

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He makes contact with the runner a yard behind the line, meaning he made up 5 yards in the time the running back made just 3.

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Needless to say, London wraps him up and brings him down behind the line for a 1 yard loss.

We finish on a massive hit from Fletcher on Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, getting Fletcher credited with a half sack.

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Ponder is trying to escape Adam Carriker's tackle after the pocket collapsed. But Fletcher isn't going to let that happen.

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Fletcher gets low, leads with his shoulder and delivers a hit that quaterbacks have nightmares about.

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The hit is so hard the ball actually came loose but Ponder just fell on top of it. It was never credited as a forced fumble, but perhaps should have been.

We all love London Fletcher and it's an absolute shambles that he didn't make the Pro Bowl this year. It'll truly be a sad day when he retires, but lets hope he resigns here and retires a Redskin.

Out of interest, what do you guys think Fletcher would get in free agency now if he was 10 years younger?

Comment 18 comments  |  2 recs  | 

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Amazing post

I agree its crazy he didn’t make it to the pro bowl. 10 years younger and this man would be the highest paid MLB and deserve it.

by The Red End on Dec 28, 2011 1:39 PM EST reply actions  

i remember reading an interview with perry reilly

in which he discusses just how smart fletcher is, that he basically calls out the offensive play before the snap…that intelligence and play recognition, like you said UK, is what separates him from most other LBs (and makes him similar to ray lewis)…i think fletch is deserving of a contract similar to ray lewis’ recent extension (maybe a few years less). he’s literally an on-field defensive coordinator who can smack the crap out of anyone who comes in view

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
*Socrates*

by atark001 on Dec 28, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions  

Robert Henson told us that a couple years ago, which we blogged about:

Hen: [laughing] London is definitely up on all the plays. I’ve seen him make checks that even the coaches didn’t notice. And the coaches will be like “that’s a good idea” and write it down. London’s the most under-rated LB I know.

"You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every car!" - Homer Simpson

by Kevin Ewoldt on Dec 28, 2011 4:49 PM EST up reply actions  

that's so impressive

i can’t imagine the amount of time he puts in on his trade…goes to show how much intelligence and studying can raise a player’s game even with an aged body

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
*Socrates*

by atark001 on Dec 28, 2011 7:11 PM EST up reply actions  

UK, what/who fell apart on that one long Gerhart run? I remember Fletch chasing him but don’t recall how he got through the left side of his line so easily.

"You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every car!" - Homer Simpson

by Kevin Ewoldt on Dec 28, 2011 3:15 PM EST reply actions  

The Guard came up to the second level.

Got a block on Fletcher which Fletch couldn’t disengage from. The TE kicks out Wilson, and the FB comes up to kick out Orakpo. The LT blocks down inside to take the Guard’s original block (Bowen) and the hole is opened between Orakpo and Bowen. Gerhart starts going to the right to get the defense moving that way, and hen cuts back into that hole. Fletcher couldn’t get off his block, and the safety (I think it was Gomes) tried to come down but went around Fletcher and the Guard, instead of going over the top.

by UkRedskin on Dec 28, 2011 6:18 PM EST up reply actions  

thanks...

"You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every car!" - Homer Simpson

by Kevin Ewoldt on Dec 28, 2011 8:03 PM EST up reply actions  

Well, If I must do pictures...


The LG gets to the second level on to Fletcher, the LT blocks down on Bowen and pushing everything inside. The TE kicks out on Wilson, and the FB kicks out Orakpo.


The LT has pushed everything inside, the TE has kicked Wilson out and the LG takes on Fletch. All that’s left is for the FB to push Orakpo outside and leave a big lane for Gerhart.


Then the safety (again I think its Gomes) was too late arriving in the hole to make the play. He needed to see it develop earlier or hang over the top of Fletch to be able to follow Gerhart either way he goes.

by UkRedskin on Dec 28, 2011 10:22 PM EST up reply actions  

cool thanks...

Yeah Keim mentioned Gomes had a bad game…38 run plays and he only had 2 tackles.

"You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every car!" - Homer Simpson

by Kevin Ewoldt on Dec 29, 2011 8:21 AM EST up reply actions  

I hope fletcher becomes a coach for the redskins

I have never seen a linebacker at his age play so many consecutive games and play at such a high level. Question to other redskins fans, those of you who watched hanburger play dies London Fletcher play similarly ( I know the Hangman was a OLB) or has there been any other linebacker in redskins history play like fletcher?

Don't feed the TROLL!...You have been warned.

by the maroon bird on Dec 28, 2011 6:27 PM EST via mobile reply actions  

Fletcher gets F&%(ed again without being kissed.

Hope I didn’t break any rules but I am completely pissed off that MR. Fletcher is not starting in the Pro Bowl. If I were the captain and we were having a pickup game like the ole days, Fletch would be my 1st pick always, unless Darrell Green was there too, then it would be a tie. Sorry Mr. Fletcher, life is not fair. But know we Redskins fans appreciate everything you have done for our team!!!!

by seiberus on Dec 28, 2011 7:52 PM EST reply actions  

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