The Redskins Blog

Pat Fischer Revolutionized Press Coverage

Before Pat Fischer came along, defensive backs weren’t really known for their physicality against a receiver at the line of scrimmage.

But because a receiver’s routes are all about timing, Fischer and his coaches thought it’d be to their advantage to do whatever they could to knock a second or two off that offensive process.

Fischer, an all-time great Redskins defensive back, talked today with Larry Michael, the Voice of the Redskins, for a taping of “Redskins Chronicles,” which airs each Saturday from 10:30 to 11 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. He discussed the process of revolutionizing press coverage in the NFL in the 1960s and 70s as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Redskins.

“What we called ‘pressing’ or ‘clamping,’ different terms have been used to express it, but it was an introduction of a style of play that the NFL actually had never had,” Fischer said. “And it took offenses and receivers three or four years to make the adjustments to that type of play, and that was to go play right up at the line of scrimmage.”

Fischer said he was one of the first defensive backs in the NFL to utilize press coverage.

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Annual Mickey Steele Outing A Success

Redskins’ alumni, current players and executive vice president/general manager Bruce Allen were present Friday for the eighth annual Mickey Steele Celebrity Golf Tournament.

The tournament is named in honor of Mickey Steele, a Maryland native, sports enthusiast and business owner, who in 2004 lost his battle to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

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Hail! Throwback Explores A Pat Fischer Legend

Hail! writer/artist Ben Ceccarelli is back from his honeymoon, and his comic strip returns with him. Today, Ceccarelli takes a look at an old legend surrounding Pat Fischer, which — for background — I’ll explain by quoting Tarhog & TK-IV II I’s excellent Redskins History 101 from over on Extremeskins:

Pat Fischer was an anecdote-teller’s dream. He was rumored to be fond of chewing on a mouthful of ‘stick-um’ to relax before games. Supposedly finding it difficult to find well-fitting knee pads, Fischer would allegedly tape disposable diapers around his knees. It was also reportedly common for Fischer to send young fans in the stands after hot coffee to warm him during cold-weather games.

Apparently Fischer would’ve been a cartoonist’s dream as well. As always, click this first panel or the Read More link to see the rest of the strip.

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