London Fletcher Is Ready For What’s Next
Linebacker London Fletcher is all but sure that his 16th NFL season was his last. With 215 consecutive starts, he would retire as the all-time ironman among NFL linebackers, and his 256 consecutive games played ranks fourth in league history. A veteran of St. Louis, Buffalo and Washington and a two-time Super Bowl starter for the Rams (in the SB XXXIV win over the Titans in and the SB XXXVI loss to the Patriots), Fletcher has clear ideas about the direction of the league, his plans for life after football, and his Hall of Fame status. He spoke to The MMQB’s Robert Klemko after the conclusion of the season.
ROBERT KLEMKO: Are you sure you’re done, or is it still 99 percent?
LONDON FLETCHER: It’s still 99 percent. You have to leave that one percent out there.
RK: And you’ve settled on TV as a post-football career?
LF: That’s my aspiration once I leave the game. I still want to be around the sport, and I think I can give some insight about the game, because I’ve been around it so long. I think I could provide some good analysis. I’ve done enough in the last four or five years to know how it goes. Coaching was a thought, and I’ll never say never, but I have three young kids, so the demand and hours that would come with coaching is not what I want to do. I’m walking away from the game to spend more time with my wife and children, not to spend less time. When you become a father it just puts you in this totally different mindset. Everything you do becomes about them.
RK: Will you let your five-year-old son play football?
LF: He loves football. He’s glued to the set. He plays flag now. It would be more difficult for me to keep him away just because he loves it so much. You think about the risks with head injuries, and you don’t want them harmed. That comes into play. You have to make sure he’s in a program where they’re teaching him the fundamentals and doing things the right way from a tackling standpoint. I have confidence in that.
RK: Do you worry about CTE for yourself?
LF: With all the research that’s come out, you think about that, but I don’t think I’ll have an issue. I’ve suffered a few concussions, but I’ve never been a big hitter with my head. Even before all the research came out, I didn’t think that was smart.
London Fletcher Is Ready For What’s Next
A legendary tackling machine, Fletcher ranks second behind Ray Lewis in career tackles, a stat that has been compiled since 1994. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
A legendary tackling machine, Fletcher ranks second behind Ray Lewis in career tackles, a stat that has been compiled since 1994. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
Undrafted out of D-III John Carroll University in ’98, Fletcher signed with the Rams as a free agent, made the roster and was on his way. (David E. Klutho/SI/The MMQB)
Undrafted out of D-III John Carroll University in ’98, Fletcher signed with the Rams as a free agent, made the roster and was on his way. (David E. Klutho/SI/The MMQB)
By the 1999 Super Bowl season, Fletcher was St. Louis’ starting middle linebacker. (David E. Klutho/SI/The MMQB)
By the 1999 Super Bowl season, Fletcher was St. Louis’ starting middle linebacker. (David E. Klutho/SI/The MMQB)
Tussling with future Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews in Super Bowl XXXIV. (NFL Photos/AP)
Tussling with future Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews in Super Bowl XXXIV. (NFL Photos/AP)
Chasing down Tennessee’s Steve McNair in the Super Bowl win. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Chasing down Tennessee’s Steve McNair in the Super Bowl win. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
J.R. Redmond of the Pats feels the sting in SB XXXVI. (John W. McDonough/SI/The MMQB)
J.R. Redmond of the Pats feels the sting in SB XXXVI. (John W. McDonough/SI/The MMQB)
High-stepping it to Buffalo as a free agent in 2002. (Richard Mackson/SI/The MMQB)
High-stepping it to Buffalo as a free agent in 2002. (Richard Mackson/SI/The MMQB)
Tom Brady’s Pats were part of the routine during the Buffalo years. (Damian Strohmeyer/SI/The MMQB)
Tom Brady’s Pats were part of the routine during the Buffalo years. (Damian Strohmeyer/SI/The MMQB)
Losing his head (figuratively) against his former team in ’08. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Losing his head (figuratively) against his former team in ’08. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Between them, Fletcher and Tony Gonzalez played 526 games through ’13. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
Between them, Fletcher and Tony Gonzalez played 526 games through ’13. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
Fletcher’s taken on plenty of all-timers, including Adrian Peterson in 2012. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
Fletcher’s taken on plenty of all-timers, including Adrian Peterson in 2012. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI/The MMQB)
In the middle for one last (?) training camp, June 2013. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
In the middle for one last (?) training camp, June 2013. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Ready to greet the crowd at FedEx before a game with the Lions in September. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Ready to greet the crowd at FedEx before a game with the Lions in September. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Underappreciated early on, Fletcher became recognized as one of the game’s best. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon SMI)
Underappreciated early on, Fletcher became recognized as one of the game’s best. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon SMI)
One of 39 career sacks: Matthew Stafford in September ’13. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
One of 39 career sacks: Matthew Stafford in September ’13. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Sure, go ahead and celebrate. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Sure, go ahead and celebrate. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Stuffing LeSean McCoy in the ’13 season. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Stuffing LeSean McCoy in the ’13 season. (Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Yet another takedown, of Chicago’s Matt Forte last October. (SImon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Yet another takedown, of Chicago’s Matt Forte last October. (SImon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
RK: Fondest football memory?
LF: The Super Bowl is the fondest memory. That’s absolutely what we play for. It doesn’t get any bigger than that. The thing is, I did it at such a young age, I don’t think I truly appreciated it as much as I could have. I still enjoyed it and it was a great accomplishment from a team standpoint, but as I’ve gotten older and realized how difficult it is to get to the playoffs, I’ve had a greater appreciation for being able to win it.
RK: If you played next season, could you be as effective as you’d like?
LF: Yes. It’s not a productivity thing, the reason I’m walking away. I know I can go out and make plays and be effective, just because I know how to prepare. It’s just that I want to do other things in life.
RK: What’s changed the most about the NFL over your time in the league?
LF: So many more rules have been implemented. It makes it so difficult to be a defensive player and do your job effectively. If they’re going to keep lowering the hit zone, you’re eventually going to have to curb the knee injuries too. It’s going to end up being two-hand tag. I understand the health concerns, but it’s still football.
RK: Who was the greatest motivator and the greatest football mind you ever played for?
LF: The greatest motivator was Frank Gansz, who passed in 2009. He coached special teams in St. Louis [in addition to several other teams]. That guy could get you to run through a brick wall. You would go to the special teams meeting even if you weren’t on special teams, just to hear him talk. The greatest football mind was Dick LeBeau. He came to Buffalo in 2003 for one year before he went to Pittsburgh. He is far and away the greatest football mind I’ve ever been around, and it’s not even close. There’s no close second. You realize it right away, in the first three minutes of him doing the first install of a fire zone. Anybody who’s been around him, played for him, spent a moment with him—you know, that’s football royalty. It doesn’t get any better.
RK: You were underappreciated for much of your career. Was it a motivating factor?
LF: It was one of them. It pissed me off. Even now I still get pissed off. I still don’t know that people gave me my due respect for my production. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. That feeling never really went away.
London Fletcher Is Ready For What’s Next
Anatomy of a tackle: Detroit’s Nate Burleson gets the high-low treatment. (Photos: Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Anatomy of a tackle: Detroit’s Nate Burleson gets the high-low treatment. (Photos: Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB)
Brandon Meriweather aims for the hips . . .
Brandon Meriweather aims for the hips . . .
. . . while Fletcher takes a high line . . .
. . . while Fletcher takes a high line . . .
. . . wraps up the Lions receiver . . .
. . . wraps up the Lions receiver . . .
. . . and brings him to the ground.
. . . and brings him to the ground.
Fletcher says he knew enough over his career not to lead with the head.
Fletcher says he knew enough over his career not to lead with the head.
Even when he launched—which was often—he attacked with his chest and arms.
Even when he launched—which was often—he attacked with his chest and arms.
The Burleson takedown was one of Fletcher’s eight total tackles in the Lions game . . .
The Burleson takedown was one of Fletcher’s eight total tackles in the Lions game . . .
. . . and more than 2,000 in his 16-year NFL career.
. . . and more than 2,000 in his 16-year NFL career.
RK: Should you go to the Hall of Fame?
LF: I think my career was Hall of Fame-worthy. I don’t have a vote, but when you look at the other linebackers who were Hall of Famers, and you look at every possible measuring stick, you can’t discredit me. I don’t see how it’s a debate, but it’s hard because one of the things I’ve always tried to be is a humble player and a humble person. I don’t want to send the wrong message. But I think when you look at the productivity, the durability, the longevity, I’m in there.
RK: Best player you ever faced?
LF: Marshall Faulk.
RK: Hardest to tackle?
LF: I don’t know, man… They all fall.
