Blue Bombers rookie Michael Fletcher changing technique to avoid QB head hits

Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Michael Fletcher is drawing plenty of attention as a CFL rookie, though it hasn’t always been for positive reasons.

For the second time in five weeks, the defensive lineman was called for roughing the passer against the Ottawa Redblacks after striking the face mask of Jake Maier.

On Friday, the penalty wiped out a sack from Jake Ceresna and gave the Redblacks a fresh set of downs when they would have otherwise been off the field at Princess Auto Stadium.

Last month, Fletcher’s hit on Maier in Ottawa was upgraded to a grade-two roughing the passer penalty, which cost his team 25 yards.

“It’s just something I gotta adjust,” Fletcher told 3DownNation postgame. “It’s my first time in the league — new rules, so just something I gotta adjust to, and I’ll figure it out.”

In the NCAA ranks, defenders can contact the quarterback’s face mask, provided they don’t do so forcibly or with the crown of their helmet.

In the CFL, this is not permitted. If a defender makes virtually any contact with the quarterback’s helmet, they’re going to get called for roughing the passer.

“There is absolutely (sensitivity over hits to the head in the CFL) and we want to keep our quarterbacks healthy,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “You see what the game looks like when they’re not healthy, and we want to keep them healthy.”

Though he needs to adjust his technique when bringing down opposing passers, Fletcher has also made lots of great plays this season.

The 25-year-old has recorded 11 defensive tackles and two sacks, primarily in a depth role. Fletcher made one of three critical goal line stuffs against Ottawa last month, then forced a turnover on downs against the Calgary Stampeders the following week.

Very few players with Fletcher’s measurables ever make it to the CFL.

According to his official pro day results, the six-foot-five, 288-pound defender’s arms are one-eighth inch shy of 36 inches.

Scouts often talk about length being a coveted trait in prospects, particularly along the line of scrimmage. For defensive linemen, having longer arms than an opposing offensive lineman is a big advantage, and vice-versa.

Longer arms also make it tougher to do the bench press, since shorter arms provide more leverage against the weight. Despite his long arms, Fletcher did 25 reps of 225 pounds at his pro day, showing he has great strength to match his extremely long frame.

In CFL circles, people have been raving about Willie Jefferson’s wingspan since he came into the league in 2014. According to his official pro day numbers, Jefferson’s wingspan is 82.5 inches. Fletcher’s wingspan is a smidge under 84 inches.

The key will be honing Fletcher’s raw frame into a pass-rusher who can take down opposing quarterbacks without also taking penalties. Fortunately for him, his head coach appears confident he’ll be able to do it.

“(Fletcher)‘s extremely intelligent. He knows what he’ll have to do, and (defensive line coach) Jake Thomas will get him working well, and we’ll try to make the correction,” said O’Shea.

“I would know the difference between someone who is making the decision (to hit quarterbacks in the head) and someone who just needs some work on a bag and a crash mat in different positions to get him doing something a little different. Fletch [sic] is not like that, so there’s no reigning him in, it’s just a little bit of correction around the quarterback on how he has to (tackle).”

“It’s not going to be easily fixed because I understand how that feels and how you have to actually change your technique, and that takes a lot of reps, but he has to change it, obviously.”

Fletcher, a native of Flint, Mich., who completed his collegiate career at Appalachian State University, seems up to the challenge.

“I’m really just focused on the fundamentals — head to the side, bend the knees, attack the strike zone. All the little things, so can’t put this team in a position like that,” he said.

“It’s really just getting the reps in, so once you get the live bullets and the game action going, you can just do it without thinking about it, so I really just think that’s what it is. I got the muscle memory of tackling a certain way, so I just gotta rep it, bending my knees a little more.”

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4) will visit the Edmonton Elks (7-3) at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday, August 21 with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 33-21 win over the Ottawa Redblacks, while the Elks blasted the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 42-12.

The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for 26 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or 880 CHED in Edmonton.

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.