Former NFL Linebacker London Fletcher played under Coach Jim Haslett for four years.
So Fletcher knows a thing or two about what Haslett is, and what he is not. Washington is having a very rough season; this isn’t news. The Skins have had some issues everywhere, but especially defensively. Much of that obviously falls on Haslett. Yesterday on CBS Sports’ “That Other Pregame Show” Fletcher totally shredded Jim Haslett to pieces, and it was quite hilarious.
It’s not often you see candor like this on the NFL talking head shows. Most of them are pretty much the same, with similar talking heads regurgitating similar talking points. Fletcher is often the exception. His takes are usually rather entertaining.
Here’s the transcript:
Why does Jim Haslett still have his job as defensive coordinator after five years of ineptitude at the defensive coordinator position? He is clueless as a defensive coordinator. He lacks attention to detail. He lacks feel on how to call a game. Some of the calls he used to call when I was playing were head scratching. They were so bad I used to change them…
They were so bad, I used to change them, like, ‘We’re not running that.’ And we’d get off the field and he would ask, ‘Why did you change the call.’ (I would say), ‘Because that’s just a dumb call. That’s why I changed it.’
Mike Shanahan recognized early that this guy does not know what he is doing. And he tried to help him out… And what does Jim Haslett do? He threw (Shanahan) under the bus just like he throws everybody under the bus, players and coaches included. He is a guy that does not know what he is doing.
And the Washington Redskins and Jay Gruden in particular better watch his back and get Jim Haslett out of the door… because he’s probably back stabbing Jay Gruden like he did everybody else – like he did to Scott Linehan in St. Louis and like he did to Mike Shanahan in Washington… This is a guy that would take the ’85 Bears and turn them into a mediocre defense. He is clueless. He has no idea what he is doing. Believe me. I had a front row seat for four years.
The coordinator was asked about his former linebacker’s comments after the Redskins‘ 24-0 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Rams.
“I just heard what London said and all I’ll say is I’m disappointed in his reaction,” Jim Haslett said, stating he never had any issues with Fletcher. “Obviously, he has an opinion, but I’m disappointed that he would come out and say something like. But, every man has an opinion, and he obviously stated his.”
Fletcher did not back down from his scathing critique on Monday. In fact, he indicated he would say the same thing to Jim Haslett’s face.
“If he has a problem, Jim knows my number,” Fletcher said at the end of an interview for a sports talk radio station.
“My number hasn’t changed, man. It’s been the same for, I don’t know, the last eight, nine years.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2