If you say the name 'Bradley Fletcher' to a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, don't be surprised if you find yourself immediately ducking a rather vicious punch followed quickly by a swift, well-aimed kick.
If you do find yourself in this predicament, vacate the premises with haste and do your best not to take any offense.
The strong, visceral response, most likely accompanied by a throbbing vein in their forehead, has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with Fletcher.
Fletcher, partially through poor play - he led the league in yards passing allowed and finished second in touchdowns allowed - partially through no fault of his own - defensive coordinator Billy Davis has some splainin' to do when it comes to why he kept trotting Fletcher out there, often in single coverage, against some of the game's best receivers - became the poster boy for a frustrating and ineffective secondary that had a major hand in the entire Eagle defensive unit finishing 31st in the NFL against the pass - Philadelphia gave up 72 pass plays of more than 20-yards this season, per Jimmy Kempski of the PhillyVoice.com.
It's the third highest total in the entire league since 1991, the year the NFL began tracking the stat.
The above image of Fletcher being tormented by Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant to the tune of three touchdowns in a must-win game will be forever seared into the memory of the Eagles faithful.
With Fletcher playing in such spectacularly terrible fashion, being benched in the season finale and his deal expiring, many assumed that he would be gone from Philly forever, sent off to play, presumably alone, in some far flung corner of the NFL universe - there's an NFL franchise in Siberia, right?
Only that may not end up being the case.
"But according to a person with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the matter, the Eagles told Fletcher at his season-ending meeting that they want him back next season," writes dream-shatterer, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.
Perhaps, as head coach Chip Kelly said in his press conference wrapping up the Eagles' devastating loss to the Washington Redskins that effectively knocked the Eagles from the playoffs, a game in which former Philly receiver DeSean Jackson beat Fletcher for two 50-plus yard plays, the embattled cornerback actually had a good season.
"I think Bradley's played well this year,'' Kelly said, per Mark Eckel of NJ.com on Dec. 22. "He got beat for a couple touchdowns by (Dallas') Dez Bryant. But Thanksgiving he didn't get beat by Dez. I thought Bradley had a good season.''
Perhaps he feels some misguided commitment to a player he had a hand in evaluating and bringing onboard his first season with the team.
Perhaps Kelly, realizing the finite options for secondary upgrades, the uncertain nature of the draft and the slim probability of his being able to overhaul an entire defensive backend in one offseason, feels like he has no choice but to bring Fletcher back to the fold.
Perhaps Kelly likes torturing Eagles fans.
Who can say for certain?
But if the report is accurate, Philly fans better get ready for at least one more year of Fletcher in midnight green, because it's highly doubtful he'll have many lucrative offers elsewhere, especially not offers that come with as good a chance of starting as Philadelphia, a team almost entirely bereft of outside cornerback talent.
