CAREER TRANSACTIONSDane Fletcher was signed by the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent on April 29, 2010.
SEASONAL REVIEWS2012 (0/0, 0/0)
- Placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury on Aug. 14, 2012.
2011 (10/5, 3/0)
- Appeared in 10 games with five starts, missing six games due to injury.
- Recorded 37 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five special teams tackles.
- Appeared as a reserve in all three playoff games, including Super Bowl XLVI, compiling seven tackles on defense and one on special teams.
- Started and made a career-high 10 tackles and one special teams tackle at Washington (12/11).
- Made his first career start vs. San Diego (9/18), making four tackles at linebacker and one more on special teams.
- Saw action as a reserve linebacker and made a career playoff-high five tackles in the Divisional playoff game vs. Denver (1/14).
2010 (13/0, 1/0)
- Made the team as a rookie free agent and played in 13 games and the postseason game vs. N.Y. Jets (1/16). Was inactive for the first three games of the season.
- Finished the season with 15 total tackles, two sacks, one interception, two passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 11 special teams tackles.
- Successfully converted from a defensive lineman into a linebacker in the NFL.
- Played in his first NFL game at Miami (10/4), seeing time on special teams.
- Saw significant time at linebacker at San Diego (10/24), registering three tackles and forced a Chargers fumble at the San Diego 22-yard line that was recovered by Jerod Mayo and helped set up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game. Also saw time on special teams, recovering an onside kick attempt in the first quarter and making one special teams tackle (10/24).
- Recorded his first career sack vs. Green Bay (12/19), dropping Matt Flynn for an eight-yard loss on first down with 1:05 remaining in the game. Two plays later, Tully Banta-Cain sacked Flynn, sealing the Patriots’ 31-27 win over the Packers.
- Registered his first career interception in the end zone for a touchback at Buffalo (12/26) on a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass that was tipped by Gary Guyton. Also recovered a fumble in the third quarter and added one sack, two tackles and two special teams tackles in the 34-3 win.
COLLEGE
- Was the defensive MVP of the Big Sky Conference for Montana State in 2009 after finishing the season with 67 total tackles and seven sacks.
- After redshirting as a freshman in 2005, he played primarily on special teams as a freshman before topping the Big Sky Conference with 19 tackles for loss in 2007 to go along with 51 tackles and three sacks.
- Finished his college career with 67 total tackles, seven sacks and two blocked kicks.
PERSONAL
- Born Sept. 14, 1986 in Bozeman, Mont.
- Earned “Hawk of the Year” honors after an outstanding career at Bozeman High, and was named first-team all-state linebacker and honorable mention tight end.
- Was also an outstanding hockey player and one of the top defensive catchers in baseball in the state.
EXTRA POINTS
- Football was Fletcher’s backup plan to hockey until he earned a scholarship to play football at Montana State.
- Fletcher grew up on a farm in Bozeman, Mont. where his parents own a restaurant and bar.
- After his freshman year of high school, he worked masonry 12 hours a day when his parents said he had to get a job.
