At 6 feet and 198 pounds, Rams cornerback Bradley Fletcher was giving up 3 inches and 20 pounds last Sunday to Arizona's Pro Bowl wideout, Larry Fitzgerald. But that didn't stop Fletcher from muscling his way past Fitzgerald and into position to pick off a pass late in the third quarter.
The interception, a team-high third for Fletcher this year, led to a field goal in the Rams' 19-6 victory. Still, you won't see the reserved Fletcher hopping around the field in self-celebration. That's not his style.
"I'm just trying to make the plays that come my way," he said.
Despite a couple of glitches along the way, Fletcher is becoming a mainstay on a Rams defense that ranks 14th in the 32-team NFL after finishing 29th a year ago.
"He's one of those guys that goes a hundred miles an hour every single snap, all the time," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "It doesn't matter whether it's in practice or in the weight room or whatever."
A third-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2009, Fletcher by the fifth game of his rookie season had ousted veteran Jonathan Wade from the first-team lineup. Fletcher was making just his third start on Oct. 25, 2009, when he tumbled awkwardly to the Edward Jones Dome turf after breaking up a deep sideline pass from Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning intended for wide receiver Pierre Garçon.
Two knee ligaments were torn, and two operations were needed to repair the damage. The prognosis was that Fletcher wouldn't be back for at least a year.
But just like his uncompromising interception vs. Fitzgerald, Fletcher was having none of that.
Road to recovery
Fletcher was a constant presence in the training room at Rams Park, where he endured a grueling rehab regimen. It was tedious and painful, Fletcher acknowledged.
"It was a long process ... a lot of weights, a lot of treatment," he said.
By the second preseason game, vs. Cleveland on Aug. 21, Fletcher was ready to go, at least two months sooner than forecast.
And when the season opened Sept. 12 against the Cardinals, Fletcher was right back where he was before he was injured — with the first-team defense.
But Fletcher wasn't the same raw youngster. While he was sidelined, he attended meetings and studied film, trying to pick up as much as he could to better prepare himself for his second season.
"I was able to learn a lot from last year to this year, just knowing where your help's coming from and how we're doing some things on defense in our schemes," Fletcher said. "That's helping me out right now."
Fletcher is an enthusiastic student, veteran cornerback Ron Bartell emphasized.
"You get a lot of younger guys, they think they have it all figured out," Bartell said. "Bradley listens, he asks questions, he soaks it up like a sponge, he tries to learn from his mistakes. I think his willingness and his eagerness to be a better football player, just to listen and learn, is probably his biggest attribute."
