Mark Fletcher on his rehab: “I just manned up and said I’m going to be positive and trust the plan.”
3 min read
When Mark Fletcher suffered a foot injury in late December, few expected him to be full speed by the opening game. But with 3 TDs and 5.4 YPC, Fletcher looks better than ever. He met with reporters to discuss his start to the season:
On returning to the field: I felt very, very blessed to even be out there because for a minute, I didn't think that I was even going to be able to be in these first few games. So just to be there and have an impact is a **** of a feeling, honestly.
On the competition in the RB room: Anybody in this running back room can go out there and start. It definitely keeps you on your toes and keeps you on point. You don't want to mess up because that next guy could take your place. But we all love each other. We want what's best for the team. It's very competitive. We love it that way.
On his attitude during rehab: Honestly, it was to get a lot of mental rest and be positive because a lot of people expected me to be down on myself. That's not going to help anybody. It's not going to help my teammates. It's not going to help me. So I just manned up and said, “I'm going to be positive, trust in the plan that the trainers have for me and trust in God's plan.” Just control what I can control.
On Jordan Lyle: Man, he's a great player. He has a long future. He always wants to learn, just like me. He plays with no fear. We had our swag coming from Broward. We wanted to be the best in everygthing. He saw that I could do it my freshman year. I just gave him some advice to help him along the way. He’s been working at it. He’s going to continue doing great things.
On Damien Martinez: He’s a pro. He keeps his head down, keeps working, very humble. He's a playmaker, a hard worker. Somebody that I love being around and learning from. I'm happy he's here.
On his improved burst: It's just me just working on my speed, working on doing little cuts, and learning and being a smarter football player, too. I know where the ball is supposed to hit at. I'm reading things like that. I'm catching up to the speed of the game.
On returning to the field: I felt very, very blessed to even be out there because for a minute, I didn't think that I was even going to be able to be in these first few games. So just to be there and have an impact is a **** of a feeling, honestly.
On the competition in the RB room: Anybody in this running back room can go out there and start. It definitely keeps you on your toes and keeps you on point. You don't want to mess up because that next guy could take your place. But we all love each other. We want what's best for the team. It's very competitive. We love it that way.
On his attitude during rehab: Honestly, it was to get a lot of mental rest and be positive because a lot of people expected me to be down on myself. That's not going to help anybody. It's not going to help my teammates. It's not going to help me. So I just manned up and said, “I'm going to be positive, trust in the plan that the trainers have for me and trust in God's plan.” Just control what I can control.
On Jordan Lyle: Man, he's a great player. He has a long future. He always wants to learn, just like me. He plays with no fear. We had our swag coming from Broward. We wanted to be the best in everygthing. He saw that I could do it my freshman year. I just gave him some advice to help him along the way. He’s been working at it. He’s going to continue doing great things.
On Damien Martinez: He’s a pro. He keeps his head down, keeps working, very humble. He's a playmaker, a hard worker. Somebody that I love being around and learning from. I'm happy he's here.
On his improved burst: It's just me just working on my speed, working on doing little cuts, and learning and being a smarter football player, too. I know where the ball is supposed to hit at. I'm reading things like that. I'm catching up to the speed of the game.
