On a day when four Washington Redskins players celebrated their Pro Bowl selections, mild-mannered middle linebacker London Fletcher ripped the league’s players and coaches for snubbing him for a 10th straight year.
“I don’t garner a lot of attention, but when you turn the film on each and every week, each and every play, I’m gonna show up,” said Fletcher, who has played in every game of his career and made more tackles this decade than any other player in the NFL. “That’s what I do. My career has been Hall of Fame worthy. But some coaches and some players get caught up in the hype, reading the newspapers or listening to some national TV game as opposed to watching the game with no sound. It’s BS. I put myself up against anybody playing the position - anybody.”
Fletcher on Tuesday was named the second alternate at inside linebacker for the NFC, meaning that two of the players ahead of him - Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers and first alternate Antonio Pierce of the New York Giants - would have to get hurt for him to earn a trip to Hawaii.
“To have it happen year after year after year after year, an eight-time alternate - c’mon, man,” Fletcher said. “Maybe because I wasn’t a first-round draft pick, I don’t do some kind of dance when I make a … tackle, I don’t go out and get arrested. I believe in playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. You look at my body of work, and I’ve done that for 11 years.
“But because I’m not going out causing a lot of controversy, holding a private meeting with the coordinator saying this, this and this, causing a lot of strife on my team… And look at the injury situation. I played with a sprained foot [the past three weeks]. There’s a lot of guys that play injured in the National Football League. But there’s a lot of guys who would cancel Christmas, so to speak, when they got hurt, meaning they would throw in the towel: ’I’m done. I’m not going to play until I’m completely healthy.’”
Fletcher also was angry that no player from the defense he co-captains made the Pro Bowl roster, even though the unit ranks second in the conference and fifth in the league.
“When you think about where we rank in the league and where we rank in the conference - the last time I checked we were the No. 2 team in the conference,” Fletcher said. “We shut down a lot of good offenses, but for some reason players and coaches don’t feel like we had any players worthy enough to make the Pro Bowl.”
The news was better on the other side of the ball.
Fullback Mike Sellers, 33, was moved by the first Pro Bowl selection of his career - a career that didn’t include time at a four-year college but included two stints in the Canadian Football League, one of which came after the Cleveland Browns cut him following a positive drug test in 2001.
Sellers returned to the NFL with the Redskins in 2004 and this season helped running back Clinton Portis reach the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2003.
Sellers went deer hunting Tuesday to take his mind off the impending Pro Bowl announcement. When he came out of the woods, his cell phone was full of messages.
“I was kind of scared to pick up the phone because I didn’t want to be disappointed,” Sellers said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m very fortunate and very humbled.”
Tight end Chris Cooley and offensive tackle Chris Samuels also were selected, Cooley for the second time and Samuels for the sixth.
Kendall wants to stay
Left guard Pete Kendall, 35, said Wednesday he wants to return to the Redskins in 2009 for a 14th season in the league and a third in Washington.
“My plan is to keep playing. My hope is that it’s here,” said Kendall, who hasn’t missed a snap since he was acquired from the New York Jets in August 2007. “I feel like I can still play, and I hope I’ve demonstrated that. But I don’t determine that. The market does.
“I’ll be patient. I recognize there are bigger decisions to be made internally before they address my situation. If nothing’s done by March, maybe somebody else will pick up a phone.”
Kendall and defensive end Demetric Evans are the only starters among the Redskins’ pending unrestricted free agents.
Washington returns
Now that they’re for all practical purposes eliminated from playoff contention, the Redskins took the field Wednesday the healthiest they have been in weeks.
The only players not practicing were Fletcher, Kendall (the usual rest day for his knees) and offensive tackle Jon Jansen (knee).
Linebacker Marcus Washington, who has missed four weeks because of a high ankle sprain, participated in a limited fashion.
Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin (abdominal strain) and safety Chris Horton (sprained shoulder) also practiced. Neither played Sunday.
Samuels underwent surgery on his torn right triceps and his sprained left knee last Thursday. He said he faces five to six months of rehab.
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