Well, dont think I missed your point. Dead levels, to me sounds like you think without special gifts or abilities at these levels, the class is without meaning? Hence

ead Level?
Also, the fact that it gets so many feats are the fighters options...a fighter is a fighter, his options are based on combat. Skills? Most players make their fighters highered hands, swordsmen...their skills are combat. As I've mentioned, if they want flavor, take skills outside of hide, move silent, tumble..and so on, but to that is to take away from what they want, which is the feat and combat effectiveness...they cant have both.
And, from what I've read, most people just want to add more combat based feats, or given skills in those deadlevles, to match what other players get. Well, you dont need to get them, if you chose them with the extra feats you already get as a fighter...and if all your giving the player is more combat things, then how are they becomeing anything more than just fighters?
Only one person has talked about giving them military history? I've mentioned music...or painting, as alot of warriors were artists when not in combat. Some where leaders, lords but they have no skills in law.
The options ive read are: blind fight, and other things which can be picked, and since they can be picked, I say, why just give it to them. THey have the option, let them choose.
I think that fighters get to pick everything they get, is what makes them unique. Unlike every druid or roge who gets all these standard things every few levels, making it easy to know what they can do on an average, a fighter picks and choses everything, therefor, unless the player chooses to take the generic feats and skill opitions, he can be different.