why is Franklin a forgotten man?

rodell330

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He's had issues holding the ball but so has Lacey at times. The only thing the guy did was rush for over 100 yds and look good catching the ball and now you barely see him? i love the way Starks is running and Lacey is our MVP if not for Rodgers but Franklin can be our Sproles but the guy is standing on the sidelines.

I would think there would be a pkg for him but i guess not? scouts raved about how well he caught the ball so why not use him a little in the slot? He's quick as a mouse so let him run crossing routes against bigger slower lb's and db's and see if he can bust a few. If not that at least he's a extra option the d has to watch when he's in the game. how many screens does this team run? not nearly enough imo..there were times agianst the Bearswhere if a screen were calld our backs would still be running. i saw Peppers and Mcclellan rush up field all night so why not throw in a screen behind them? It's not like we did a good job blocking them so at least cause a little hesitation for the d to just stack the box and tee off on a suspect qb. smh. This is not some mad scientist gameplan, it really is that simple. Where the heck is the offense going to come from if teams gear in on Lacey? MM needs to use every weapon he can at his disposal. I'd also like to point out that those pick plays we throw to Nelson that pick up 6 to 8 yds a pop why the heck do we only see that at the end of the game? remember how we were having success with that same play against cincy throwing to Ross before we coughed it up? i'd like to see more of that. WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MOVE THE BALL.
 

DevilDon

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The Bears stacked the box and Lacy and Starks still ran it down their throats.
I agree with you on this Rodell, I'd like to see some of what Franklin can do. I believe the reason is his fumblitis. Lets be honest - at this point of the season and with Rodgers out, one fumble can turn the game into a loss. It's not the time to be experimenting.
 
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rodell330

rodell330

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He's had issues holding onto the ball.


Remember Ahman Green? i'm sure he's been practicing ball security at practice. I think the fumble against Cincy was terrible but i wouldn't categorize it as him having a chronic fumbling issue. Prior to that the guy looked like he would be a steal..which i think he still is. Besides, MM wouldn't agree to have him returning kicks if he had fumbling issues. Altho i am glad to see him off kickoff returns.
 

TJV

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IMO both Lacy and Starks are better options running the ball but I wouldn't mind seeing Franklin in the slot if he can do a better job than White. Franklin seems more Cobb-like and if he is, that would give Jordy more snaps outside as opposed to lining up in the slot. My guess is Franklin is not on the field more on third downs because of his blocking. And BTW, although we saw Raji defend a Bears' screen, that's mostly the responsibility of the LBs and perhaps safeties (so the DL rushing isn't that important).

Regarding fumbling, according to nfl.com: Lacy has one fumble in 134 attempts; Starks has one fumble in 47 attempts; Franklin has two fumbles in 19 attempts.
 

bozz_2006

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Remember Ahman Green? i'm sure he's been practicing ball security at practice. I think the fumble against Cincy was terrible but i wouldn't categorize it as him having a chronic fumbling issue. Prior to that the guy looked like he would be a steal..which i think he still is. Besides, MM wouldn't agree to have him returning kicks if he had fumbling issues. Altho i am glad to see him off kickoff returns.

I'm not saying I think he shouldn't be on the field because of it. But I think you answered your own question in the first few words of your post. He'd see the field more IF he hadn't had such issues holding onto the football. No matter how great you are at gaining yards, if you can't be trusted to hang on to the ball, you're not going to see much PT for the Packers. That's the bottom line.
 

FrankRizzo

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Lacy hasn't fumbled since week 1 I believe they said.

Franklin will be there when he's called upon......
 

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Ball security issues are certainly part of the reason for Franklin's minimal role in the offense but Lacy and Starks are the guys who can handle the most touches and are doing so well that the rookie hasn't been really needed. I think that will change now, though, as the team goes even more to the rush with Rodgers out. Lacy and Starks will still carry most but Franklin and Kuhn will be worked in more to reduce the wear and risk of injury to the other two.
 

adambr2

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Because we already have 2 running backs performing at a very high level and we can only feed so many mouths.

It's possible that they do get him more involved out of the backfield with Wallace under center.
 

SpartaChris

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This thread feels like proof that, no matter what, some people just aren't gonna be happy.

We have a stud running back in Lacy, and a solid change of pace back in Starks, yet people aren't satisfied because Franklin isn't getting the ball enough...
 

Oshkoshpackfan

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2 reasons: Ball security issues, and our already potent running game. We have capable back up WRs already, no need to put him in the slot or anywhere else he was not trained for. Doubt a RB knows the passing playbook for the slot position anyhow.
 
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HardRightEdge

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As a runner, Franklin is reminiscent of the 3rd. down backs who came before him...Brandon Jackson (inexplicably elevated to starter) and Alex Green...none of these guys could/can get yards after contact.

The Franklin/Brandon Jackson comparison is most apt. They're about the same size, they're best times were around 4.4 (Franklin 4.38 at the Combine, Jackson 4.41 at his Pro Day), Jackson's Combine/Pro Day metrics indicate he was a bit more athletic, and they're running styles are similar.

Jackson would rip off a long gainer about once every 100 touches pumping up his career average to a substandard 3.9 per carry. In between he was not a credible runner. Take out Franklin's 51 yarder, and he's at 18 carries for 56 yds. for a 3.1 average.

Jackson was a decent blocker; at least when he was in on third down the D wouldn't know if he was there to block or release. Franklin is not a good blocker; accounting for him in the secondary on 3rd. down won't likely go to waste.

McCarthy doesn't comment much on running back skills, but when he does his complimentary comments are generally limited to "the guy has some fall-forward" or the "he's a good blocker". Franklin doesn't qualify as either. Not to mention the backs who have had success in MM's offense are between-the-tackle runners going back to Ahman Green.

I couldn't reckon why MM wouldn't motion Green to the slot given he was a good space player. If not then, I have hard time seeing him do it now with Franklin. It just doesn't seem to fit his eye / scheme.

The best we can say about Franklin is that he's a rookie, so some development / light-bulb-going-on affects might be evident as we go along. But he's just not ready for prime time or a guy you can build a feature play around. I expect he'll see some snaps as we go along this year, particularly if there's a good match-up, say against a slow or dinged up LB, but not much more than that.
 

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Think Franklin may actually be better at running the ball but it doesn't matter because NFL coaches HATE running backs that fumble. In the two games that Franklin eas given a shot, he fumbled in both. With Lacy and Starks playing well, Franklin needs to show in practice that he can hold the ball and he'll probably only be given another chance this year if Lacy or Starks gets hurt.

Brings up another point. With both Lacy and Starks looking great (starks is the only RB in the NFL this year to have three TD runs of 25+ yards) why do we run Lacy so much? He's had injury issues in the past, why not give both about 15 carries?
 
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rodell330

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Use fanklin in the slot as a wr..run a couple jetsweeps and screens with him. Ive already got a gameplan for how to get him involved more in the offfense! Texting MM now haha.
 
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rodell330

rodell330

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This thread feels like proof that, no matter what, some people just aren't gonna be happy.


We have a stud running back in Lacy, and a solid change of pace back in Starks, yet people aren't satisfied because Franklin isn't getting the ball enough...


Well i was before rodgers got hurt and we could score points. Now we need more creative ways to move the all and it may involve Franklin.
 

CW21NumeroUno

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Brings up another point. With both Lacy and Starks looking great (starks is the only RB in the NFL this year to have three TD runs of 25+ yards) why do we run Lacy so much? He's had injury issues in the past, why not give both about 15 carries?


Umm because Lacy is our primer back and is head and shoulders better then Starks. Lacy will bruise defenders and make them think twice about going full speed at him to tackle. He also is much harder to bring down and can move the ball after contact. Starks does a good job coming in late in the game...I like the way it is.no need to change it up. If it isnt broken,dont fix it
 

Zartan

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I forsee him our secret weapon for the postseason. Hes like the 2010 verson of Starks.
 

Sunshinepacker

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Umm because Lacy is our primer back and is head and shoulders better then Starks. Lacy will bruise defenders and make them think twice about going full speed at him to tackle. He also is much harder to bring down and can move the ball after contact. Starks does a good job coming in late in the game...I like the way it is.no need to change it up. If it isnt broken,dont fix it

I'm not sure you've ever watched Starks run the ball. He's also a large, bruising running back. Yes Lacy is a good back. He's also proven to be injury prone throughout his career. "Head and shoulders" better than Starks? When given the chance this year, Starks has been a very good runner as well. My only point was that I don't think Lacy should be getting 29 carries in one game.
 

CW21NumeroUno

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I'm not sure you've ever watched Starks run the ball. He's also a large, bruising running back. Yes Lacy is a good back. He's also proven to be injury prone throughout his career. "Head and shoulders" better than Starks? When given the chance this year, Starks has been a very good runner as well. My only point was that I don't think Lacy should be getting 29 carries in one game.


yes i have seen Starks run the ball. Maybe u havent because he wasn't doing so well until the Line decided to make decent openings. Lacy on the other hand can get you those 3 tough yards even with no where to really go. You asked why Starks doesnt share the load more with Lacy and i gave u the reason. Lacy is just too powerful and good to not let him get the bulk of carries. Starks is what he is, a change up back good for the last quarter of the game...
 

Sunshinepacker

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yes i have seen Starks run the ball. Maybe u havent because he wasn't doing so well until the Line decided to make decent openings. Lacy on the other hand can get you those 3 tough yards even with no where to really go. You asked why Starks doesnt share the load more with Lacy and i gave u the reason. Lacy is just too powerful and good to not let him get the bulk of carries. Starks is what he is, a change up back good for the last quarter of the game...


Btw, Lacy with 14 carries before the 9 minute mark of the second quarter. Do you really think Starks shouldn't get a couple carries? Lacy on pace for over 40 carries at this point
 

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