FOXBORO, Mass. — After missing six weeks with a thumb injury, Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher got right down to business Sunday during his return to the lineup, recording the tackle on the opening kickoff and then starting on defense.
Fletcher couldn't have been happier to get back on the field after the layoff.
"Playing on Sundays, that's what I live for," Fletcher said.
Fletcher had seven tackles (five solo) on defense and one quarterback hit against the Redskins. He fit in well alongside Jerod Mayo and added a little more consistency to a position that had been hit hard with injuries this season.
Fletcher also shed the hard cast that he was wearing earlier in the week and played with a softer, more flexible brace to protect the surgically repaired thumb.
A day after his first game since October, Fletcher said he felt pretty good physically, and he was also happy with his performance. He was making some strides earlier in the year, so his addition to the lineup should help the middle of the New England defense as it pushes through the final month of the regular season, particularly as he gets back into football shape.
"Whatever you can do as far as training, I went above and beyond the criteria," Fletcher said. "You have to train here and on your own time, when the team's gone, to get prepared for Sundays again. My main goal when I was out a little bit was to be able to come back fully in shape and have a decent body on me."
