SI.com: Redskins' Fletcher has gotten good look at this year's Giants, Pats

[tiger187126]

How is it that the Redskins finished last in the division and yet made the Giants look bad twice this season?

"With the Giants, it's just a case of that we know them very well, play them twice a year and have been going against those guys for a number of years now. It's the same coaching staff that has been there for the whole time I've been in Washington, and even before then. Their offense isn't going to change. They are what they are, and they're pretty good at what they do. I guess we just have the right guys to match up pretty well with them in our defensive front seven, and in coverage-wise, in what we do in the back end.''

How was the Giants team you beat by 13 points in Week 15 in New Jersey different from the Giants team you beat by 14 points at home in Week 1?

"In the first game, [Giants second-year receiver] Victor Cruz wasn't the player yet that he turned into as the season went on. He was just a first-time starter, getting to be that nickel guy slot receiver. But by the time we played again, he was really their go-to guy, their No. 1 guy, so that was a big difference for them offensively.

"And on the defensive side, health was an issue for them early on. They just weren't very healthy on the defensive front, in particular at the defensive ends. But they got healthy later in the season, so that and the emergence of Cruz from Week 1 to Week 15 were the two biggest changes.''

You were the last team to beat the Giants, but did you have any inkling they had a run like this in them when you left the field that day at MetLife Stadium?

"No, not particularly. One thing I think that kind of went a little bit overlooked was when we played them, they were coming off the big win at Dallas in that [Week 14] Sunday night game. It was obvious there was a little bit of a letdown for them when they played us. They weren't at the same emotional peak as against the Cowboys.

"But again, we match up well against them. But to say I thought they'd get on the roll that they're on? No, I didn't think that at all. To their credit, they did what they needed to do to get where they're at. They got hot.''

We saw this kind of playoff, late-season roll out of the Giants in 2007 as well, but is this one even more surprising in some ways, given that they were 7-7 and fighting for their postseason lives after they lost to the Redskins?

"Yes and no. I guess I am surprised, but not really, because you knew once they got into the playoffs, it's anybody's tournament to win. And they got healthy at the right time and the defense started playing great at the right time. They started playing with great confidence, and those things make a huge difference. In a one-game situation, with the way Eli Manning is playing, we can't be too surprised by what the Giants have done.''

To have beaten them twice, does it tell you how close the talent gap is in the NFC East, and how narrow the difference really is between first place and last place in that division?

"It definitely does. The NFC East is a pretty competitive division every year. Week in and week out it's going to be a battle. We beat the Giants. The Giants beat the Cowboys. The Cowboys beat us. And the Eagles beat the Giants [late in the year]. We all feel like we can win that division, and if we get in the tournament we can do real damage.''

The day you played New England, you answered almost everything the Patriots threw at you, and wound up with the Redskins' best day offensively all season. But what was that game like defensively for Washington?

"We knew it was going to be a tough game going in, facing that offense they have with all those weapons. Obviously it starts with Tom Brady and his greatness, but now you add those two tight ends that they have with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, to go with Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and it's just a tremendous challenge that you face because of their offensive pace, the formations they have, and the no-huddle. It's definitely the ultimate challenge play in and play out against that offense.''

Speaking of Gronkowski, he had a huge day against the Redskins (six catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns), and clearly Washington struggled to tackle him. What's it's like when you have him coming at you in the open field?

"Well, you're talking about a guy who's 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, and he's a tough guy to bring down. He runs well, has great hands, and you definitely have to try to wrap him up and run through him. You've got to get as many guys as possible on him, but even then he's a tough guy to bring down.''

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/don_banks/01/30/super.bowl.xlvi.london.fletcher/index.html#ixzz1kyWcPG00

it's a pretty good article and to take a step back from all the bickering about would a good qb push us over the top, are we still years away from competing, etc. it's good to think that we played pretty damn well against the two teams in the super bowl, and there's a lot more parody in the NFL than in other sports.

just a little bright spot in this horribly RGIII or I'm jumping off the woodrow wilson postseason.

[Mahons21]

Nevermind..

[tiger187126]

My god, pigs must be flying, you and I are in 100% agreement.

haha, this board is just absolutely morose or giddy for RGIII and there is apparently no room to be in the middle.

i thought this article was pretty good and a cool look at what it looks like from london's perspective, a guy who amazingly was on a team that lost the SB to Tom Brady 10 years ago.

i'm sure someone will be along to tell me that we've beat the eventual SB winner 7 out of 10 years or something and that we still suck and teams just don't prepare for us, but i was damn proud to beat the giants in the meadowlands when they absolutely needed a win because they have demolished us for years and years.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

there's a lot more parody in the NFL than in other sports.

It's wrong, but it's also appropriate lol ...

[SkinsFTW]

It's wrong, but it's also appropriate lol ...

Like our QB is a parody of Brett Favre in a sense.

[tiger187126]

It's wrong, but it's also appropriate lol ...

we're like a parody of a real NFL team!

i've been really sick and didn't do my usual check, i did catch that i wrote "one" instead of "won" before anyone noticed.

parity, for all those scoring at home, would have been the correct word.