At the end of last season, London Fletcher stood in front of the entire Washington Redskins locker room and gave what many of his teammates described as a farewell speech. He thanked them for their contributions, told them how special the season had been as the team rebounded from a 3-6 start to finish the regular season 10-6, win the NFC East and reach the postseason.
For almost two months, the Redskins had no clue if Fletcher would return for another season. But in March, Fletcher opted to have surgery on his elbow and ankle, and informed team officials of his intention of lacing them up yet again.
“I’m feeling good, getting better each day. Getting stronger. I’m right on schedule to be ready,” said Fletcher.
Fletcher said his speech at the end of the season wasn’t meant to be a farewell, and that he wasn’t close to retiring.
“No,” Fletcher said, “it was really just anytime you have a season like that, you don’t get a chance to really appreciate what you accomplish, so I really wanted to let the guys know, and really express to them how gratifying it was, you know, for me, personally, being around these guys, seeing what we were able to accomplish, seeing what we were able to overcome, giving the odds we were up against – particularly being 3-6 and how we finished. So, really, it was just me expressing that.”
Asked about the decision to comeback for a 16th season, Fletcher said: “It’s just the desire to continue to play. I’m still playing at a high level, the team still wanted me to play. So, a lot of those things come into play. I still love the game of football, so those were the decisions. Also, I like where this team is at, the makeup of it. Those were all factors.”
Fletcher said the moves made in the draft were signs that the Redskins remain on target to continue improving on defense.
“You like it,” he said. “Really, any time you can add depth to your team, competition, that’s a good thing. I know they feel great about the draft picks, the guys they were able to add. Those guys are coming along each and every day, getting better. So, from that standpoint, I think they’re going to help us be a better team, be a better defense.”
Coach Mike Shanahan said he expects that Fletcher will take the field for next week’s round of practices.
