I haven't written him off because he didn't do well last year...in fact I thought he did do well. But one thing that isn't talked about when comparing him to Patrick Surtain (who is the obvious comparison because Patrick did not do much his 1st year then took over the starting job after 2nd) is the fact that at least Patrick Surtain was showing us flashes while he was in camp, both his rookie year and the next year. He had the nickel CB spot his rookie and sophomore years...played well at that nickel spot, and drew constant praise from the coaches.
Meanwhile, Jamar Fletcher just...well, he just shows marvelous inconsistency. He's not drawn praise that wasn't meant to give him more confidence (see Mel Phillips remarks). People who see him at camp don't often like what they see either. We'll see how he performs this year but he's not ON patrick surtain's same learning curve so far. He's below it. And he was a 1st round pick and a first round pick, should have contributed more, and looked better by now even if he is a CB. I'm not sayin he's necessarily a Yatil Green size bust or a John Avery sized bust (though in Avery's first year I remember a lot of people liked what they saw from him and some thought he was slated to do well his 2nd year...then we traded him for fellow 1st round bust Marcus Nash)...Jamar's not there yet. But you'd be a fool to not acknowledge the possibility at this point.
The nickel spot SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIS the moment he got here. In his 2nd year, in camp, without much competition, healthy, he still can't even solidify or hold down completely a nickel CB spot...enough to where we tried to sign Terrell Buckley.
Patrick Surtain? Not even close. Not yet anyway...