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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSamantha Keen\/3DownNation. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
Michael Fletcher is drawing plenty of attention as a CFL rookie, though it hasn\u2019t always been for positive reasons.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\t\tBy signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, as well as our Last month, Fletcher\u2019s hit on Maier in Ottawa was upgraded to a grade-two roughing the passer penalty, which cost his team 25 yards.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just something I gotta adjust,\u201d Fletcher told\u00a03DownNation postgame. \u201cIt\u2019s my first time in the league \u2014 new rules, so just something I gotta adjust to, and I\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n In the NCAA ranks, defenders can contact the quarterback\u2019s face mask, provided they don\u2019t do so forcibly or with the crown of their helmet.<\/p>\n In the CFL, this is not permitted. If a defender makes virtually any contact with the quarterback\u2019s helmet, they\u2019re going to get called for roughing the passer.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is absolutely (sensitivity over hits to the head in the CFL)\u00a0and\u00a0we want to keep our quarterbacks healthy,\u201d said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cYou see what the game looks like when they\u2019re not healthy, and we want to keep them healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he needs to adjust his technique when bringing down opposing passers, Fletcher has also made lots of great plays this season.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Very few players with Fletcher\u2019s measurables ever make it to the CFL.<\/p>\n According to his official pro day results, the six-foot-five, 288-pound defender\u2019s arms are one-eighth inch shy of 36 inches.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In CFL circles, people have been raving about Willie Jefferson\u2019s wingspan since he came into the league in 2014. According to his official pro day numbers, Jefferson\u2019s wingspan is 82.5 inches. Fletcher\u2019s wingspan is a smidge under 84 inches.<\/p>\n The key will be honing Fletcher\u2019s 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\u2019ll be able to do it.<\/p>\n \u201c(Fletcher)\u2018s extremely intelligent. He knows what he\u2019ll have to do, and (defensive line coach) Jake Thomas will get him working well, and we\u2019ll try to make the correction,\u201d said O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n \u201cI would know the difference between someone who is making the decision (to hit quarterbacks in the head)\u00a0and someone who\u00a0just needs some work on a bag and a crash mat in different positions to get him doing something a little different.\u00a0Fletch [sic]\u00a0is not like that, so there\u2019s no reigning him in, it\u2019s just a little bit of correction around the quarterback on how he has to (tackle).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be easily fixed because\u00a0I 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Fletcher, a native of Flint, Mich., who completed his collegiate career at Appalachian State University, seems up to the challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really just focused on\u00a0the fundamentals \u2014\u00a0head to the side, bend the knees, attack the strike zone. All the little things, so can\u2019t put this team in a position like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really\u00a0just getting the reps in, so\u00a0once 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\u2019s what it is.\u00a0I got the muscle memory of tackling a certain way, so I just gotta\u00a0rep it, bending my knees a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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