SB Nation - Will Franklin

Who Wants to be a Chiefs WR? Anyone? Anyone?

Joel Thorman — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:26 -0000

With the addition of Bobby Wade reportedly happening today, I thought it would be a good time to do a quick review of how we ended up with the receivers that we did. Obviously, this position has been a revolving door the last nine months with the exception of Dwayne Bowe and Mark Bradley, the only two leftovers from the '08 squad.

There have been players entering their second season that were released (Franklin), veterans that were signed (Toomer) and released and even a few veterans that made it on the 53 man roster (Engram).

All in all, there have been 14 players that have been seen on the Chiefs roster at one point since Scott Pioli's January hiring.

Four were cut from last year, a few more came off the street and a bunch in between.

Still on the Roster from Last Year
Dwayne Bowe
Mark Bradley
On the Final Roster Last Year But Not Now
Will Franklin
Jeff Webb
Devard Darling (IR)
Kevin Robinson
Signed and Released Between January and Today
C.J. Jones
Rodney Wright (PS)
Amani Toomer
Ashley Lelie
Taurus Johnson
Jeff Webb (Re-signed)
Signed Over the Offseason, Still on the Team
Bobby Engram
Terrance Copper
Quinten Lawrence (Draft)

Figuring Out What's Already in Pioli's Hand

Matt Conner — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:50:18 -0000

The cries can grow loud 'round here at times, including from yours truly. As the various free agents remaining find homes on other teams or coordinate trades you'd swear we could have been in on, it's difficult to not question the direction of the Chiefs front office with so many glaring holes still remaining before training camp. Of course, we all put on our best face and cross our fingers for the young unprovens found throughout, but let's be honest - most of the guys will have a short shelf life and were a lower draft pick (or undrafted FA) for a reason.

In our dream world (which also flows with rivers like the land of Dairy Queen), Quentin Lawrence becomes the new Marques Colston or Eddie Royal, giving us an Arizona-like WR tandem for Haley to display to the rest of the NFL. Brad Cottam, in this sequence, not only provides as a serviceable replacement for Tony Gonzalez but becomes a sure-handed promising young tight end that make us all thankful we picked up the second round pick when we could. And the news of Damien MacIntosh shedding all that weight? Yep, even here he finds a second wind and solidifies the right side of the line.

Of course, on the other side of the ball, Tyson Jackson indeed becomes the next Richard Seymour with Glenn Dorsey making good on every ounce of promise displayed at LSU. Tamba Hali creates a permanent home at the pass rushing linebacker position and walks away with double digit sacks. And let's not forget the embattled veterans like Mike Brown and Zach Thomas being injury-free and finding young legs again as they lead a playoff-caliber defense. Oh yeah, Bernard Pollard takes out Josh McDaniels in the process somehow.

More after the jump...

But we know these things aren't true. Sure, one or two might develop and, if so, that's a great development for the Chiefs. But reality must set in as the Chiefs hold only one of 30 or so fan bases around the nation hoping for the exact same thing with the exact same passion (give or take). So as the rose-colored sunglasses come off, we wonder why we don't make the big move to give us one more variable to at least hope will turn out.

But Pioli and company, besides a few veteran signings and the big Matt Cassel/Mike Vrabel trade - seem content with some of the "holes" in the line-up. And after some complaining, I think I'm rather glad. Why? Because in year one of the regime, one thing is most important: Figuring out what you're already playing with.

Some players have already seen the door because they didn't fit (i.e. Will Franklin). But I'm sure the levels of pain in an NFL front office go something like this:

3. Watching a trade go down only to realize you could have pulled off the same thing

2. Watching the guy highest on your draft board go the pick before yours

And the worst...

1. Watching a guy you already had on your roster develop and thrive on another team

Some of this has to do with schemes (in fact, much of it). But sometimes this happens simply because a team didn't pay attention to what they already had on the roster. Sometimes in the name of purging, a team simply moves on from someone quite talented to get "their guys in here." And for a professional organization and competent front office, you simply can't make those mistakes.

Keeping Tony Gonzalez around surely would have made Cassel's entry much sweeter and easier and definitely would have kept a fan base much happier. But how many years do you go without knowing what the third round pick sitting can do? While some were pining for KC to just shed Dorsey in a trade, the best thing to do is give him at least 16 games to show what he can do before you prematurely label him one way or the other.

If we end the season with the same holes we started with, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It simply means that we now have a complete idea of what we're working with. And really in the first year of what hopefully builds into a dynasty, that's exactly what we should be hoping Pioli is up to.

Pioli/Haley/Parcells Connection Continues for the Kansas City Chiefs

Joel Thorman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:21:05 -0000

First things first. If you haven't read Kent Babb's piece on Todd Haley, linked in the FanShots by Zodeman, go read it. It's a great article that gives us a lot of insight. Yeah, insight....in June. Babb did a great job of getting past the press conference-interior of Haley and digs a little deeper into the Bill Parcells connection.

Haley's coaching style, most easily defined as "intense", has rubbed a few the wrong way, mainly Will Franklin who was released after reportedly catching the wrong end of a mini-camp shouting match. Jon McGraw said he doesn't respond well to being motivated with fear. Haley does this to his players because he's been in their shoes before, even if it was nearly a decade ago.

Players are watching as the man runs to a fence — coach’s orders. Some of the players are confused that an assistant coach, a young Todd Haley, is in Parcells’ crosshairs this time. Haley made a mistake, and he understood the hard way that there were no excuses and no compassion. He messed up the Jets’ practice schedule, and carelessness has consequences. So Parcells made him run.

The Parcells connection runs deep for the Chiefs, not only for new head coach Todd Haley but also new GM Scott Pioli. Here are a few of the Haley/Pioli/Parcells connections we've come up with:

It was prevalent in the scouts that were hired on May 1st
We looked at the Pioli/Haley/Parcells (PHP) connections with the remaining free agents
Every single coach hired in February 17th had a PHP connection

That's just scratching the surface. Free agents brought in (Tony Curtis, Sean Ryan), trades (Matt Cassel, Mike Vrabel) and off the street pick ups (Travis Daniels) have the connection. After reading Babb's piece, I can tell that the Kansas City Chiefs are now being given the complete Bill Parcells experience.

That's why I wasn't completely surprised to learn that the Chiefs skipped their practice on Friday, instead heading to the bowling alley. Why was that not surprising? Because Bill Belichick and the Patriots canceled practice and Eric Mangini (former NE coach) and the Browns did the same thing. Three coaches, all with the same connections, canceling a practice the same weekend.

This PHP connection doesn't stray too far from it's roots. Maybe that's why it's so strong. Because once you're a PHP guy, and you "get it", you know another one of the PHP connections is not too far away and you won't be out of a job long.

Chiefs' Thigpen: 'Some Players Took Advantage of the Freedom Herm Edwards Gave Us'

Joel Thorman — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:06:27 -0000

"And if you real look real close, you'll see it's a...dog? No no. It's a pony! You have to cross your eyes and then slowly pull the sheet of paper back. OK, we're done here today." (via Photo Source)

View full size photo »

For the past three years, Kansas City Chiefs fans have been subjected to Hermisms, press conferences where the coach talked a lot without saying anything and a general feeling that there was a lack of accountability around One Arrowhead Drive. Maybe that's because, you know, there wasn't any accountability.

In an appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio, Tyler Thigpen told Bryan McGovern and Ross Tucker that he felt some players took advantage of this. I was listening to the show but here's Tucker's latest Tweet:

Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen just told us that he felt like some of the players took advantage of the freedom that Herm Edwards gave them.

We're only four and a half months into the Scott Pioli and Todd Haley era but we've quickly realized that there is assuredly a level of accountability with the "new" Chiefs.

David Macklin was arrested for DUI. Five days later he was released.
Michael Merritt was arrested (over just a little bit of weed?). 19 days later he was released.
Will Franklin reportedly showed up to mini-camp overweight. He was released.

I'm not trying to hold resentment against the previous regime because at this point it doesn't really matter. A cynic might say I posted this to take a shot at Herm Edwards (Hint: You may be partially right). But it's also interesting to note that for a player like Branden Albert, who was on the Red Zone Podcast today, have said that Herm was a coach who conducted toned down practices. At least comparative to the reports coming out of Haley's practices.

S Bernard Pollard:

"They hold everybody accountable. So if you mess up, they’re gonna call you out. That’s the thing with this coaching staff, they’re not going to hold anything back."

LB Derrick Johnson:

"I like the coaches. They are very passionate about what they do. There’s an energy around the Chiefs right now. There’s a lot of change going on. Everybody is adjusting and we are ready to go."

NT Tank Tyler:

"Well, I wouldn’t say that. I’ve had some conversations with Coach Haley and he’s a real cool dude but an intense coach. He’s strictly business and that’s a good thing."

DE/DT Glenn Dorsey:

"I won’t say he’s different. He’s really hands on. He doesn’t play any bull. He’s real straight forward. He tells you like it is. He don’t sugarcoat anything. If you ain’t doing good, he’s gonna tell you. He’s straightforward and I like him. He’s no nonsense, man. He’s ready to win."

LB Zach Thomas:

"I think he's doing great with the team. He’s tough and that’s what you need. He’s trying to get the mindset changed here and he does make you a little uncomfortable – which is good. You need that."

***

That's half the defense on record talking about the intensity of Todd Haley and his practices. That's gotta count for something come September.

Poll

Do you think that Herm Edwards' more laid back approach to practice and conditioning hurt the Chiefs?

Yes

797 votes

No

30 votes

Not sure

35 votes

862 votes | Poll has closed

Lions Pick Up Another Former Chief

Joel Thorman — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:36:15 -0000

The Kansas City Chiefs waived 2008 draft pick LB/DE Brian Johnston on Wednesday. He didn't make it far on the waiver list as the Detroit Lions claimed him yesterday. He was drafted under the Gunther Cunningham defensive regime so it makes sense that that the Lions defensive coordinator is going with what he's familiar with.

This marks the second 2008 draft pick Cunningham and the Lions have picked up from the Chiefs on the waiver wire.

On April 13th, the Chiefs released 2008 4th round pick WR Will Franklin. Just one day later, the Lions picked him up, only to then release him a month later.

Cunningham also raided a former Chief when he opted to pick up defensive Eric Hicks on May 4th. Hicks played for the Chiefs from 1998-2006.

Who will be the next ex-Chief to become a Lion?

H/T to ChiefsNotChefs in the FanShots

Chiefs 2008 Draft Class Dropping Like Flies

Joel Thorman — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:45:49 -0000

Over the last three months nearly to the day, the Kansas City Chiefs new regime has given the ax to 33% of former GM Carl Peterson's 2008 draft picks. The players were drafted to fit Herm Edwards' Cover 2 defensive scheme and his brand of offense.

Here's the rundown on whose been released from the 2008 draft class:

February 24th TE Michael Merritt: 'All this for a little bit of weed?'
April 13th WR Will Franklin: Rumored to be out of shape
April 21st KR Kevin Robinson: Injury/production concerns
May 27th OLB/DE Brian Johnston: Might not have fit the 3-4

Here's a quick glance at who was drafted, who is gone and who is still here.

Pick	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	Status

Round 1 Pick 5 (5)	Glenn Dorsey	DT	6'1"	297	???

Round 1 Pick 15 (15) (From Lions)	Branden Albert	OG	6'6	309	Starter

Round 2 Pick 4 (35)	Brandon Flowers	CB	5'10	189	Starter

Round 3 Pick 10 (73) (From Broncos through Vikings)	Jamaal Charles	RB	5'11	200	#2 RB

Round 3 Pick 13 (76) (From Lions)	Brad Cottam	TE	6'8	270	1st year starter

Round 3 Pick 19 (82) (From Vikings)	DaJuan Morgan	S	6'0	205	???

Round 4 Pick 6 (105)	~~Will Franklin~~	WR	6'1	214	Waived 4/13

Round 5 Pick 5 (140)	Brandon Carr	CB	6'0	207	Starter

Round 6 Pick 4 (170)	Barry Richardson	OT	6'7	320	???

Round 6 Pick 16 (182) (From Vikings)	~~Kevin Robinson~~	WR	6'0	190	Waived 4/21

Round 7 Pick 3 (210)	~~Brian Johnston~~	DE	6'5	276	Waived 5/27

Round 7 Pick 32 (239) (From Giants)	~~Mike Merritt~~	TE	6'3	270	Waived 2/24

The Question Marks

DE Glenn Dorsey: How will he react to a position change?

My take: The position change is a tad overblown in my opinion but still needs to be answered. The move to defensive end likely won't highlight Dorsey's strengths but it's a key part of the 3-4 and could still be used in that capacity.

TE Brad Cottam: Can he be the starter after Tony Gonzalez's departure?

My take: We saw very little of Cottam in 2008 in the role he'll be asked to play in 2009. This is an unknown at this point.

S DaJuan Morgan: What can he offer?

My take: He appeared in 15 games for the Chiefs last season and totaled 14 tackles. He's also a complete unknown at this point. When he was selected, it was largely attributed as a "value" pick (as in he was rated much higher on the Chiefs board).

OL Barry Richardson: Can he contribute?

My take: He's got the size to contribute but the word on him coming out was he lacked the technique. He's still on the roster, which I guess is a good sign, but so is Damion McIntosh and he's got 10 times the salary as Richardson.

***

33% of the 2008 class is GONE.

By my count, only four players have definitive roles on the team (Albert, Flowers, Charles and Carr). That's not meant to say Dorsey won't be on this team in two years but he's yet to show he can play the position he's being asked to play. Same with Cottam. So it's only fair to label them as question marks right now.

The 2008 class was lauded as the best in 20 years for the Chiefs by a lot of folks. Though that title could still come to fruition, the new regime isn't hesitant about getting their guys in there.

Monday Notes: Roderick Hood to Visit Lions Today

Sean Yuille — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:02:07 -0000

More photos » by Reed Saxon - AP

7 months ago: Matthew Stafford of Georgia, (9), the No 1 overall first pick of the NFL draft, joins fellow Detroit Lions rookies Derrick Williams (12) of Penn State, and Brandon Pettigrew (84) of Oklahoma State, as they are photographed by Scott Clarke for Top Deck as National Football League draft pick rookies posed for NFL trading card photographers, at the Los Angeles Coliseum Saturday, May 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Browse more photos »

Rookies are going to report to Allen Park today to get ready for the first full-team OTA on Tuesday.
Cornerback Roderick Hood is going to visit the Lions today. Hood was released by the Cardinals mainly due to cap reasons and visited the Bengals and Browns last week.
The Lions released offensive tackle Junius Coston and wide receiver William Franklin, who was claimed in mid-April, last week. They also signed rookie tryout Ryan Kees to a contract.
Maurice Morris thought the Lions should have won eight games last year. I think that was just a general estimate based on watching highlights, but his point was that the Lions were not as bad as their record indicated last season. Quite a few of their losses were because of fourth quarter collapses, and others were just close games that didn't go in the Lions' favor.
Gosder Cherilus is more comfortable now that he has a year of the NFL under his belt.
Jim Schwartz brought Daniel Loper in to compete for a starting spot at left guard.
The salary cap has again gone up, this time by $947,000. The increase is due to accounting numbers being finalized, and usually the jump wouldn't be applied until the following year's cap. Since the cap is going to expire after this year, though, the NFL is applying the increase to 2009. (By the way, labor talks between owners and the NFLPA are going to begin next month.)
An interesting tidbit mentioned in the above-linked article is what the NFL's first ever cap number was, $34.6 million in 1994. It's pretty amazing to think about that when you consider that Matthew Stafford got $42 million of guaranteed money in his contract. It definitely shows you how much things have changed in the last 15 years.
According to Pro Football Talk, prior to the recent increase, the Lions had $7.4 million of cap space.
Calvin Johnson is 3rd in NFL.com's and 5th in The National Football Post's wide receiver rankings. I think those rankings are much more accurate than the Sporting News' rankings, which placed Megatron 11th.
Lions tight end Dan Gronkowski was quite the hockey player in high school. He said he will become a Tigers fan, but he isn't going to ditch the Buffalo Sabres for the Red Wings.
Former Lions defensive end Roger Brown is a member of the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

610 Sports: Chiefs' Will Franklin Asked for his Release

Joel Thorman — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:50:23 -0000

via www.emqb.com

610 Sports is reporting that Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley conducts quite the offseason conditioning program. The conditioning was so intense for wide receiver Will Franklin that he actually asked the Chiefs for his release.

Then he went to the Detroit Lions. That's what you get.

610 Sports says Haley has a reputation for run-ins with players and coaches and that was on full display in the Chiefs voluntary mini-camp March 30th. Entering only his second season in the NFL, Franklin was pushed so hard in conditioning that he wanted out.

The word is that Franklin walked into a meeting with Haley prior to the offseason conditioning program and told him (via 610 Sports):

"You're a marked man. You're a Herm Edwards guy and I'm gonna ride you hard."

Clean slate, huh?

610 Sports called him the "whipping boy" and speculated that Haley's behavior with Franklin was meant to send a message to the players from the Herm Edwards era.

Multiple sources said Haley was "all over Franklin" at which point he decided he couldn't work with Haley. One prominent NFL coach told the radio station that Haley gets in fights with players a lot.

610 Sports reported that multiple players have said, off the record, that they like GM Scott Pioli but Todd Haley is an "***hole." The players 610 talked to have said they do not like Haley.

Will Franklin showed up to the voluntary session five pounds overweight.

This answers the questions regarding the Chiefs' decision to part ways with Franklin, whom many of us thought had plenty of potential.

I'm not sure what to make of this. There's a fine line between pushing players to perform and alienating them. If these reports are true, and if the quotes from the players are true, then this could be trouble brewing in the Chiefs locker room.

Brian Waters apparently felt alienated when he asked for a trade from the organization after GM Scott Pioli denied a meeting with him (on the night of the start of free agency) and Haley told him "22 guys off the street could have won two games last year."

We've heard the rumors that Haley isn't a players coach in the way that Edwards was. Looks like some of those rumors are coming to fruition.

Wednesday Notes: Lions Claim WR Will Franklin Off Waivers

Sean Yuille — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:07:13 -0000

Just a heads up, I am going to do a second-round for the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. My plan is to post the No. 33 pick later today just like I did with all of the first-round selections since it belongs to the Lions. For the rest of the round, however, I am going to include four or five picks in one post every couple of days to move this along. After all, the draft is rapidly approaching, so the faster we can get through this the better.

(Please check out the second-round draft order to find out when your pick is coming up to be ready to make a selection. The format for making picks will be the same as the first-round, but you should still be prepared and compile a list of possible selections for when I e-mail you.)
The Lions claimed wide receiver Will Franklin off waivers on Tuesday. The Rams, Eagles, Colts, and Raiders also claimed him, but the Lions ultimately get to sign him since their record was obviously the worst of all teams in the NFL last season.
In case you think the Lions are actually considering missing the deadline for the top pick of the draft, think again. Tom Lewand basically shot down that idea by saying that he won't comment on strategies like that, "whether they’re logical or illogical." It seems that he is implying that skipping the pick is an illogical idea, so if you were worried about that, you can relax.
It came out recently that Duke point guard Greg Paulus worked out with the Packers last week. He was one of the nation's best quarterbacks coming out of high school, but ultimately he decided to play basketball at Duke. Now that his eligibility is up for that sport, NFL and college teams are interested in him, including Michigan. He checked out a Michigan practice on Tuesday and may transfer to the school, as he has one year of football eligibility left. That would be quite the story.
Regardless of whether or not Aaron Curry ends up a Lion, you can't question his character, as he invited a cancer survivor to the draft.
Braylon Edwards is likely going to be traded to the Giants.
Percy Harvin did, in fact, test positive for marijuana at the combine.

Chiefs Waive Wide Receiver Will Franklin

Joel Thorman — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:46:55 -0000

via assets.sbnation.com

This is a bit of a shock. From the Mothership:

The Chiefs also waived WR Will Franklin on Monday. Franklin played in 13 games (one start) with the Chiefs in 2008.

Franklin was the Chiefs' fourth round draft pick just last season.

In "Don" Pioli style, this tidbit was buried at the bottom of the official announcement of the Chiefs signing of Zach Thomas.

New head coach Todd Haley has worked with wide receivers for a large part of his career so he apparently knew Franklin wasn't part of the Chiefs' future fairly quickly.

Haley excelled with much bigger receivers (Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin) than the 6'0", 209 pound Franklin.

Franklin had a productive career at the University of Missouri playing in a spread offense. He didn't show much of anything last year with the Chiefs due partly to injuries. Chris talked about our wide receivers just a couple of weeks ago and pretty much nailed it.

I'm on the fence about Will Franklin. I know the MU Tiger fans will jump on his "potential" but the guy looked completely lost last year. I think he'll fall into the mid-round draft selection abyss and we'll rarely hear about him.

"Completely lost" is the way I would put it too but he was only a rookie. Partly out of curiosity of Franklin's "potential", I would rather have rather seen the Chiefs give him another shot.

Because he has less than four years of accrued service in the league, Franklin will enter waiver system meaning each team in the NFL (in draft order) will get a crack at signing him.

H/T Eric Allen in the FanShots