Fletcher has been eligible since 2019, but it took him five years to become a semifinalist as one of 26 for the Class of 2023. He returned to that group for the Hall's Class of 2024 but again failed to advance when its 15 finalists were named this week.
Optimists see Fletcher's path as one of progress, citing the traction he's made over the past two years. But his supporters, particularly the Washington fan base, aren't happy and took their anger to social media after this week's announcement.
Here's a sample of what they had to say on X (formerly Twitter) --
-- "London Fletcher getting snubbed again (broken heart emoji)"
-- "London Fletcher not making it is crazy London Fletcher not making it is crazy"
--"How the (expletive deleted) is Patrick Willis a finalist for the Hall Of Fame but London Fletcher isn't?"
-- "London Fletcher is being done so dirty! #HTTC"
-- "They just gonna keep doing this to London Fletcher? (sad emoji)"
-- "How is London Fletcher not on here!? Oh that’s right - he played most of his career in Washington, that why. Ridiculous"
-- "Complete (b.s.) how London Fletcher continues to get snubbed."
-- "London Fletcher is still boxed out…smh"
But it's not just Washington fans. Fletcher played for the Rams and Bills before finishing his 16-year career with Washington, and Rams' followers are upset, too (a bit less so with BillsMafia) ... and I must admit: They have a compelling argument..
The 5-foot-10, 242-pound Fletcher did put up big defensive numbers compared to linebackers of his era, with one meme on social media comparing his statistics to Ravens' Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. It reads like this:
-- Fletcher played 16 seasons; Lewis 17
-- Fletcher played 256 games; Lewis played in 2008
-- Fletcher is credited with 2,039 tackles; Lewis totaled 2,059
-- Both were credited with 19 forced fumbles.
-- Fletcher intercepted 23 passes; Lewis pilfered 31.
-- Fletcher blitzed his way to 39-1/2 sacks; Lewis had just two more -- 41-1/2.
The memes I've seen don't include Super Bowl rings, but they should. Fletcher won one, and Lewis earned two. That is certainly a positive. So, the logic follows that with numbers in the same ballpark as Lewis, London Fletcher should absolutley be a finalist ... even worthy of a Gold Jacket.
To his fans, that's a no-brainer.
But let's pump the brakes here. There's more to the story of an NFL player than just stats. No question, numbers are an important box to check for a Hall-of-Fame candidate. But there are others, too, with postseason honors at or near the top..
For seemingly forever, Hall voters favored players named to All-Pro first-teams or Pro Bowls more often than they did those with fewer selections, and that's understandable. Voters included NFL writers and media members who annually chose All-Pro teams, either for the AP and/or PFWA ... or now defunct wire services. Toward the end of each season, writers were asked to submit ballots naming the best players at each position. And when votes were counted, the winners were your All-Pro team.
At the end of a player's career, he can -- and often is -- identified by All-Pro designations, and those with more years generally are considered the game's top players. The "elite," if you will.
The same is true for the Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game which was voted on by players and coaches. While it became less meaningful when fans began to vote, it still plays a role and carries some weight with Hall voters.
Yet all these postseason honors -- All-Pro, Pro Bowl, All-AFC or All-NFC, etc., the "alls" as it were -- aren't included in the London Fletcher memes that exploded this week. Why? Because they don't promote his Hall-of-Fame campaign. In fact, they hurt it,
Here's why:.Ray Lewis was an AP first-team All-Pro seven times and was voted to the Pro Bowl 12 times. Fletcher was never a first-team All-Pro and was never voted to the Pro Bowl. Granted, he did go to four as a replacement and was second-team All-Pro twice. So he wasn't shut out.
Whether that is fair ... or that AP voters got it wrong for a decade and a half ... or that Fletcher should've made first-team ... really doesn't make a difference. There is no way to compare Fletcher's career to Lewis. The Ravens' linebacker was so dominant that he was one of the best, if not the best, inside linebacker in the NFL.
Then there's the case of the inside linebacker who did make the Final 15 -- Patrick Willis, who played eight seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He had a productive, albeit short, career that ended prematurely because of injury. As such, his career tackles and relevant "splash" plays don't reach the totals of Fletcher (or Lewis) ... as Fletcher backers noticed.
"Hate to. Say but London Fletcher had better numbers," read one message comparing Fletcher with Willis.
If by "numbers" the writer means individual defensive stats, he's right. But if you look at other numbers -- the "alls" -- he's not. Willis was a consensus first-team All-Pro five times and second-team once. He was voted to seven Pro Bowls, only missing his final season in a career cut short by injury.
As Peter King once said, "All-Pro teams don't mean everything, but they don't mean 'nothing', either."
To the 50 voters who comprise the Hall's board of selectors, they do mean something. They pushed Willis into the Final 15 and made him a legitimate candidate for election. Moreover, they're almost certainly why Fletcher didn't graduate from a semifinalist.
During Willis' career, AP voters thought he was the best of the best. In his five seasons as a first-team All-Pro, he was the leading vote-getter for his position, sometimes by a wide margin.
Little-known fact: From the mid-1980s through the mid-2010s, the AP almost always included two inside-linebacker slots on its defensive All-Pro teams, making the unit 12 players. Consequently, the second-leading candidate was considered first-team All-Pro, something that doesn't happen now.
With most teams playing the 3-4 in the 1980s, the AP thought it fairer to have two slots. But when defenses swung back to the 4-3 in the 1990s, the slot was kept. Things leveled out in the 2000s with teams switching back and forth, so maybe two slots were appropriate.
Nonetheless, Willis was the top guy in each of his All-Pro seasons. Fletcher was not. Nor was he close. That's not to say there isn't room for an individual who has a strong statistical case but may lack the "alls." There is, and there are those exceptions.
Consider that good news for Fletcher's candidacy. It will boost his chances when the small but tough linebacker reaches the Final 15, which he should at some point. Until then, he must wait his turn while Willis gets his bust in Canton.
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