Detroit Lions Stephen Tulloch wants to break London Fletcher’s streak

Matt Forte (22) is tackled by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch (55) in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. The Detroit Lions won 40-32. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch is one of the toughest players in the league, and he has never missed a single game in his career to this point. That’s extremely impressive, since Tulloch is in the eighth season of his career and has been a part of 118 consecutive games. Things got a bit dicey last season, though, as Tulloch had to play through the entire season with knee tendinitis but was still able to record 112 tackles. His teammates certainly noticed the effort and toughness, and he was given the Ron Kramer award as the team’s most unsung player last season.

Tulloch has 46 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and another pass defended through six games this season. But according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Stephen Tulloch has his eyes set on something else- breaking London Fletcher’s consecutive games streak.

Fletcher is easily one of the toughest players in the history of the game, and his longevity is certainly impressive. The man is a future Hall of Famer, and he has now played in 245 straight games for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. Tulloch’s goal is to showcase his toughness by breaking that record, but there’s obviously plenty of luck that goes into achieving that.

Here’s what Tulloch said, “That’s my goal. I grew up a fan of him when I was a kid. I used to follow him at John Carroll, when he was in St. Louis and Buffalo, and we had the same agent for a while and then he fired Drew (Rosenhaus) or whatever, and we’ve been cool. I talk to him once a month, ask him what he does to take care of his body, how he evaluates his play, what he can work on and he’s just been helping me throughout my years in Tennessee and now.”

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