Rookie defensive lineman’s history hits just as hard

Michael Fletcher hasn’t exactly been able to ease into things since bringing his talents up north.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers threw the rookie defensive lineman to the wolves in training camp, which led to him being released for a few days because of an injury before being signed to the practice roster.

“He’s willing to do whatever and he proved that during camp. We wore his ass out. He took so many reps in camp because we kept losing guys, losing guys, losing guys, and we just kept giving him more reps because we had to, to get practice in,” said head coach Mike O’Shea after Tuesday’s practice.

The Bombers (5-4) are in Edmonton on Friday to challenge the Elks (7-3).

“And it was probably a little unfair. But he just kept doing it. We eventually wore him out completely, but when you learn that about a guy, it’s certainly a guy you want to have around,” O’Shea said.

His practice roster stint didn’t last long.

By Week 2, he was thrust into action, and he’s been an important rotational piece for the Blue and Gold ever since.

And like any first-year pro, there’s been some good and some bad — just look at last week’s game against Ottawa.

The six-foot-five, 288-pound defender sacked Redblacks quarterback Jake Maier, but later in the game, he negated a sack by teammate Jake Ceresna when Fletcher’s helmet struck Maier’s facemask on the play.

Last month, when the Bombers were in Ottawa, Fletcher was called for a Grade 2 roughing-the-passer penalty that ultimately cost Winnipeg a whopping 25 yards.

“Yeah, I did apologize for that. Jake (Ceresna) was upset about that,” said Fletcher with a laugh.

“It happens man. New rules for me, and maybe a little shorter guys than I’m used to playing against so I just gotta bend the knees and get used to it.”

If Fletcher can avoid yellow flags from appearing on the field moving forward, the Bombers might have something in the 25-year-old.

Coming out of high school, he was ranked the No. 1 defensive end prospect in all of Michigan. He had offers from Michigan, Alabama and Georgia before settling on Michigan State.

Up to that point, he relied strictly on his natural athleticism. But when you’re playing in the Big Ten Conference, that’s not going to cut it.

He flashed at times, once sacking Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (now with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs) twice in one game, but ultimately, Fletcher didn’t live up to the hype.

“I did a little bit. Not what I wanted to, though,” said Fletcher, who made three starts in four seasons before transferring to Appalachian State University.

“I think I just had to understand the business and the work ethic aspect of it. Learning how to get through really hard days and doing stuff you don’t want to do. Once I learned that, and stopped being soft, and grew up a little bit, things started to go my way.

“It showed me that football is serious — it’s not just a game like I thought it was in high school. It helped me lock in, for sure,” he added.

Considering he grew up in Flint during the water crisis, it says something that he was even able to get an opportunity at an NCAA powerhouse program in the first place.

“It shaped me to be who I am. It made me grateful, it made me appreciate what I have today,” said Fletcher. “It was just something you had to deal with. It’s a lousy situation that a lot of people are dealing with in the world. Some people are dealing with war and famine, and that was kind of just our trials and tribulation in that moment.

“But when it first happened, there was kind of that shock like, ‘We can’t even use the water in our homes or schools?’ People were getting sick, kids were getting sick. I just dove all into sports. That was an escape, for sure.”

He found his groove at App State where he registered 40 tackles and nine sacks in two seasons, which put him on the NFL radar. He spent training camp with the New York Jets last season and appeared in three pre-season games before being released.

There currently aren’t any NFL players from Flint.

The Bombers were impressed by the tape they saw of Fletcher with the Jets and signed him in the off-season. And with his size — he has even longer arms than defensive end Willie Jefferson — they’ve moved him to the interior.

“Overall, it’s been a blessing for sure. I’ve had some ups and downs throughout the year, but it’s coming together, we’re figuring it out,” said Fletcher.

“I’m still learning how to hit the quarterback, of course.”

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