Jamar Fletcher Has To Step It Up... | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Jamar Fletcher Has To Step It Up...

DIRTYCASHHOLDIN

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The only thing that I would like to talk about tonight.....is the very important Third Corner spot. All the talk I heard today....was that nobody.....and were talking about JAMAR FLETCHER, RAY GREEN, and OMARE LOWE....had really made a stand-out impression these past few days up in NASHVILLE.

All of us are hoping that someone on this roster can at least play up to the caliber that last years third corner....TERRY COUSIN...exhibited.....which of course...was definately better than average. The Dolphins had decided not to match a FA offer for COUSIN...and it was thought to be mainly because the replacement was here already, on this roster....and we are talking about last years #1 draft pick....JAMAR FLETCHER.

JAMAR FLETCHER has been pretty much "given" this job...its not like he has earned this job...he basically was placed on the depth chart by the coaching staff as the THIRD CORNER.

Fletcher has worked hard...he was in camp all along...and early on WANNY was saying how much...in the mental game...on how much he has improved.

But come now....with the pads finally on....and now with play at top level speed.....FLETCHER has seemingly not assured the coaching staff that he is ready for the big third corner assignment. He quite simply has not made enough plays....and most importantly....he really has not seperated himself from the other contenders....like RAY GREEN and OMARE LOWE. Further more....there are some rumblings from media people....that the Dolphins may have made a drastic mistake in judgement...when they selected FLETCHER in the first round....perhaps instead of a young Qb named DREW BREES. The bottom line is that the Dolphins had really hoped for much more development...even now....than they have been seeing around camp for the past few weeks.

Its not that FLETCHER is playing that poorly...don't get me wrong. But he is just not being agressive enough....he seems to be giving up to much of a comfort zone out there....and he is getting beat short....as well as long...just about in every practice session. Yes...he makes some plays as well that get in there, in that mix.....but yet.....even WANNy said in the paper about Fletcher getting beat long...and badly in a practice against the TITANS....."any time you get beat long...its a concern". He later said that the position is still yet unsettled....and this is really too bad... because it really means that this Third corner spot might need an addition to it....perhaps a guy that is not on this roster.

I know its early...but I have to say that JAMAR FLETCHER has been a disapointment...lets face it....he was not good enough last year to beat out TERRY COUSIN...and this year he is struggling just to hold on to the job....in which he was basically handed.....without COUSIN here.

You guys know....just a few weeks ago....the Dolphins wanted to really bring in T-BUCK. And that was definately for a reason. And the reason is that the coaches are really unsure of this position....and in particular....you know they were not talking about bringing in T-BUCK....because of the play of RAY GREEN and the new kid....OMARE LOWE. They were hoping that when T-BUCK signed on with the BUCS.,..that FLETCHER would really step it up and show the coaches that they have the right guy in there...and there is no need to look elsewhere. You would have thought that when the Dolphins let COUSIN go....FLETCHER would have rose to the occasion...and really taken his game up a notch. But unfortunately.....the Dolphins are still waiting for that to happen...even in practice.

When you are drafted #1 by the Miami Dolphins....regardless of position.....you have a big responsibility to the coaches, fans, and media... YOU ARE EXPECTED TO PLAY LIKE YOU WERE WORTHY OF THAT #1 PICK. This is also part of the problem....but hey....that also goes with the territory. When you have a guy from the same school...selected in the second round....CHRIS CHAMBERS....who comes in here from day 1 and starts turning heads and plays like an all-pro....from day 1......the expectations now for FLETCHER....have gone even more impatient. Its simply time for FLETCHER to start showing he was worthy of the Dolphins first round selection last season....that is what the talk is right now...around Dolphin Camp.

Its a very important position to play.....we got more than we bargained for with COUSIN last season.....but then again....we did draft CB JAMAR FLETCHER last season #1 to do what Couisin did last season. Now.....its time for FLETCHER to stand up...and start seperating himself....in these next few weeks.....because if he does not win this job.....and we are forced to get somebody from the outside to play this position....then quite simply....what will the talk be about JAMAR FLETCHER?

Lets not go there yet.....lets just say that he has not performed up to expectations....
DCH
 
I thought we should have taken Brees that year, but will stand behind Fletcher for now. I'm still holding out that he will start making some plays- just like the staff and fans- and hope it will be soon. Our 3rd corner has always had a target on his back and suspect that Surtain will have to slide over this year which might expose the deep routes if one of our young guys doesn't step up.
I guess we still have time though, because it's still early in camp.
In a few weeks, if things don't settle down, then I'll start sweat'in it.

:D :D :D
 
I was also really mad when we took Fletcher. Even if he does well, we still probably should have selected Brees.
 
thanks DCH - I always thought Fletcher deserved 1 more chance this camp to prove that he was a good high pick by solidifying the pass D as the 3rd CB. If he cannot beat out a FA and 5th round draft picks, he's starting to move into John Avery territory for #1 pick busts; and that is unfortunate for someone who as the Thorpe winner in college. Fletcher does not have an easy job since on 3rd down he cannot play soft or even expect lots of help, but I would have thought he easily had the talent to play up to Cousins stds.

I actually think that CCs emergence lessened the burden on Fletcher since mentally it is easy to switch their draft and justify the draft - since most dolphans wanted us to draft a WR #1.
 
I think Fletcher can do it. He's got all loads of talent. To me, it has nothing to do with ability and everyting to do his head. He's just got to say "Screw it" and just go for it. Just like with Fiedler, he's got to stop thinking so much and just start reacting and trusting his instincts, which by the way are top notch.

This kid's collegiate career was no fluke. He regularly made his man invisible. There's no reason why he can't succeed with us. He naturally has the same attitude as Sam and Pat: ****y and brash on the field.
 
Yeah I agree with Muck but some people can't adjust to NFL even though they were All Americans in collage..Well I didn't like the pick because I really wanted Lamont Jordan.
 
FLETCH.

DREW BREES absolutely should have been the pic.

you never pass on a possible franchise qb when one falls in your lap. expecially when you qb's are jay fiedler and ray lucas!

we could have found a third corner via f/a or else where. but at the time, we were VERY unshure what our qb's would do. basically, still are.
 
Well, if there is anything positive about this, it is that Dave isn't just keeping Fletcher penciled in at Nickel (which I had feared), but rather that there are none of the lot that are markedly better than the other.

He got off on a bad foot with that rookie hold out for a week (or two?) last year. You see it happen all the time when a rookie holds out, it just seems to set them back in their development. To compound this, he then had an injury that kept him off the practice field for a while longer. I see some of you guys are impressed by the talent the guy had a Wisconsin, but I stand here and say I was impressed with John Avery's talent at Ole Miss as well.
 
in hindsight, we probably should have taken drew brees...i still think fletcher will be a good corner...remember surtain struggled for the 1st year and didnt become a starter til late in his 2nd year when he replaced t-buck.. if he continues to struggle, we will sign somebody like donovan greer...
 
Even when Surtain took over at the end of year 2, it was largely because TBuck had a foot injury that was slowing him and causing him to be beaten deep a lot. Surtain got beat plenty too when he started, but TBuck looked great as a nickel CB.

Hindsight's 20/20 man and Drew Brees hasn't proved squat yet. Most QBs even rookies have the presence of mind to know not to take off on a QB scramble with no hope of gaining much yardage, when you're down with 10 seconds left in the game hoping to tie it up, and you have no timeouts. Scramble...tackle...time runs out before you can spike. It was one of the most boneheaded QB moves I saw all season from any team, other than the Brad Johnson spike-fumble where he hit the ball against his own helmet while trying to spike it, and it was in actuality a fumble though the refs were incredulous that it could have been a fumble, and blew the whistle signaling dead ball.
 
brees, not fletch............

CKPH, we are talking about the decision on draft day. no one had "proved squat" at that point.

but again, you take a possible franchise qb when you get the chance. competitive teams like miami are never far enough up in the draft to get a shot at blue chip QB prospects like brees.

the beginning of his senior year, there was talk of him going #1 overall. you have to have some game for people to make those predictions.

again, that is the call you make on draft day, not any hind sight thing. when you have quality corners on your club already and bums at qb, YOU TAKE THE QB!!!

__________________________________________________

SEPTEMBER 11, BURN A TOWEL DAY!!
 
Yes but thats precisely what is in question here. Drew Brees was not necessarily considered a "blue chip" prospect at QB. 31 teams passed up on Drew Brees in the first round. You're using the potential that he's shown in San Diego to skew your opinion of Drew Brees on draft day. The reason I was pointing out that Drew still hasn't proven anything is so that you don't keep thinking about what he did in San Diego this year when thinking about draft day.

There were a lot of questions on Drew coming out of the draft...arm strength, height, etc. There's a reason he dropped out of the first round. Hindsight is 50/50. He was not considered a blue chip guy on draft day.
 
But I liked the fact that as a rookie in Norv's O he looked good..that gives me more optimius that Jay will have a good year and our talent around him can take us a long ways....
 
This is one of the positions Im most concerned about!.....There are no good CB's out in the FA market....Donovan Greer at best.....We might have to trade.
 
Should have drafted in the first round...

Hey folks...from what we know now, it is appearant to me and was on draft day (2001) that we should have drafted none other than CHRIS CHAMBERS in the first round. Not only was that our greatest area of need but it was way too risky to pass this guy up and allow another team to grab him.

The one good thing that I have noticed about Fletcher is that he has very good hands. I hope that he can also contribute as a special teamer return man. If I was Norv, I would take a look at him on the offensive side as he did with Champ Bailey. Fletcher did play some WR while at Wisconsin. He could be an emergency WR allowing us to only keep 5 WR's on the roster and that would allow us to find a roster spot for another postion of depth.
 
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