LA Rams: 15 greatest linebackers of All Time
By Bret Stuter
Whenever the subject of linebackers who dominated for the Rams franchise, I cannot help but recall the football heroics of London Fletcher. a player who played for the St. Louis Rams for just four seasons. During that time, he only began to flash the brilliance that would result in one of the most durable and impressive NFL careers at the linebacker position.
But why is he so high on this list? Much like his teammate Mike Jones, Fletcher was the conductor of the St. Louis Rams defense, whose heroics sealed the team’s first Super Bowl victory.
Fletcher was the defensive equivalent to St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, and his durability and dependability were perhaps his greatest NFL attributes. He only played 25 percent of his NFL career for the Rams, but he started off with a bang, getting a Super Bowl victory during his early reign.
Much like Warner, Fletcher was undrafted as well. He signed on with the Rams in 1998, but the 5-foot-10, 242-pound linebacker made his presence felt even in his rookie season. By 1999, he was the starter for the team that would go on to win the Super Bowl.
While London Fletcher never earned his way into the NFL Hall of Fame, it’s tough to argue over his overall NFL career statistics. And it’s that ironman durability and production that some argue make an undeniable case to nominate him for the HOF. He enjoyed a long and heralded NFL career. But it all began because the St. Louis Rams gave a young man a chance to prove himself in the NFL, even though he never heard his name called during the NFL Draft.