Johnathan Franklin - health status?

[Patler]

JSOnline raised questions about his recovery from last years injury. As usual, there is little information available, so the reporter tries to read into other actions by the team:


Back to back: The Packers remain tight-lipped about the status of running back Johnathan Franklin, their fourth-round pick in 2013 from UCLA. Franklin had a breakout game against Cincinnati with 103 yards on 13 carries, but he suffered a neck injury late in the year and was put on injured reserve.

Coach Mike McCarthy was evasive when asked about Franklin at the NFL owners meetings in March and there has been no word how much Franklin is doing in the off-season conditioning program.

The Packers hosted a number of smaller backs similar to Franklin on pre-draft visits and signed three free agents after the draft was over. Perkins is one and the other two are Tennessee's Rajion Neal and Kansas' James Sims.

Neal, a 5-11, 220-pounder who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 and had a 38-inch vertical jump, is bigger than Franklin (5-10, 205) and doesn't run as fast (4.46), but both are quick change-of-direction backs.

The 5-10, 207-pound Sims is almost identical in size to Franklin and had back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons for the Jayhawks.

It's possible that Franklin's injury isn't serious and he'll be ready for the start of training camp, but adding three backs certainly raises some questions. In addition to Franklin, the running back position includes Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris, Michael Hill and John Kuhn.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/alabama-linebacker-hubbard-agrees-to-free-agent-deal-with-green-bay-b99267578z1-258854601.html#ixzz31bTRP6MY
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[pbmax]

Let's hope necks are not the new hamstring.

[Fritz]

Let's hope necks are not the new hamstring.

What a pain in the neck.

[Patler]

I wonder if other teams have as many, or if GB has had a streak of bad luck?
Since 2005, the neck injuries I remember include:

Murphy
Palmer
Thompson
Collins
Richardson
Finley
Franklin
Jolly

So far, only Richardson has returned,

[Fritz]

That would be interesting to know - I wonder if the Packers have those kinds of comparative statitistics. How many hammy injuries compared to other teams, how many neck injuries compared to other teams, how many arrests compared to other teams, etc.

[Carolina_Packer]

Yeah, it didn't make much sense to me to have a lot more competition at RB by signing all these priority/college free agents like they did, but if they are tipping their hand about a concern they might have about Franklin, then it's a smart move. Ladarius Perkins looks like a Sproles type of player. I don't know anything about Neal, but he looks about the size of Lacy, maybe a few pounds lighter. It may not just be Franklin they are concerned about either, given that DuJuan Harris went out with a knee injury heading into last season, and is still a question mark coming off of his injury. I think they may have learned from leaving a bit to chance with depth at running back when Alex Green was trying to come back. He was obviously never right after his injury.

[Patler]

Yeah, it didn't make much sense to me to have a lot more competition at RB by signing all these priority/college free agents like they did, but if they are tipping their hand about a concern they might have about Franklin, then it's a smart move. Ladarius Perkins looks like a Sproles type of player. I don't know anything about Neal, but he looks about the size of Lacy, maybe a few pounds lighter. It may not just be Franklin they are concerned about either, given that DuJuan Harris went out with a knee injury heading into last season, and is still a question mark coming off of his injury. I think they may have learned from leaving a bit to chance with depth at running back when Alex Green was trying to come back. He was obviously never right after his injury.

Agreed. On paper they look to have nice depth at RB. but it is not a certainty by any means.

Franklin looked poor both before and after the game in which he ran for 100+, and even that game he ended with a crucial fumble. He is both an injury uncertainty and a performance uncertainty at this point.

Harris was coming back from one injury when he sustained the knee injury. Who knows where he is at physically?

Starks is Starks. He missed several games last year, too. He might not even make it out of TC ready to play.

Evaluating others makes sense, even if just to rank them on their emergency list for signing if (when) injuries hit.

[woodbuck27]

Yeah, it didn't make much sense to me to have a lot more competition at RB by signing all these priority/college free agents like they did, but if they are tipping their hand about a concern they might have about Franklin, then it's a smart move. Ladarius Perkins looks like a Sproles type of player. I don't know anything about Neal, but he looks about the size of Lacy, maybe a few pounds lighter. It may not just be Franklin they are concerned about either, given that DuJuan Harris went out with a knee injury heading into last season, and is still a question mark coming off of his injury. I think they may have learned from leaving a bit to chance with depth at running back when Alex Green was trying to come back. He was obviously never right after his injury.

" it didn't make much sense to me to have a lot more competition at RB by signing all these priority/college free agents like they did, but if they are tipping their hand about a concern they might have about Franklin ... " Carolina_Packer

RB LaDariue Perkins: From: Mississippi St. SEC 9 ( Grade from NFL.Com = 5.22 )

His combine results are impressive:

4.46 SEC 40 Yards (Top Performer);

23 REPS Bench; Verticle 35.5 INCH; Broad 124.0 INCH

3 Cone Drill = 7.08 SEC and 20 yard Shuttle = 4.30 SEC


Other RB's as UFA's:[/SIZE]


RB Rajon Neal, Tennessee

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/rajion-neal?id=2549990

RB James Sims, Kansas

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/james-sims?id=2549934

[run pMc]

Each of Lacy, Starks, Harris and Franklin have been hurt, so I'm not too surprised they are bringing guys in. It will improve the competition.

I don't think you'll see Lacy get a lot of carries in preseason. They might also go light on Starks too, that seemed to work last year.
That leaves them Harris, Franklin, and these other guys (where's Marc Tyler?) to carry the rock and get some snaps on film. Makes sense to bring in some RBs just to prevent the regular season workhorses from being dinged up in Week 1.

[woodbuck27]

Each of Lacy, Starks, Harris and Franklin have been hurt, so I'm not too surprised they are bringing guys in. It will improve the competition.

I don't think you'll see Lacy get a lot of carries in preseason. They might also go light on Starks too, that seemed to work last year.
That leaves them Harris, Franklin, and these other guys (where's Marc Tyler?) to carry the rock and get some snaps on film. Makes sense to bring in some RBs just to prevent the regular season workhorses from being dinged up in Week 1.

Yes MM has to conserve the strength of Lacy and Starks. Let the others battle for two slots.

[Brandon494]

I just hope Harris can stay healthy this season, a change of pace back with his speed would make this offense even more dangerous.

[Guiness]

Each of Lacy, Starks, Harris and Franklin have been hurt, so I'm not too surprised they are bringing guys in. It will improve the competition.

I don't think you'll see Lacy get a lot of carries in preseason. They might also go light on Starks too, that seemed to work last year.
That leaves them Harris, Franklin, and these other guys (where's Marc Tyler?) to carry the rock and get some snaps on film. Makes sense to bring in some RBs just to prevent the regular season workhorses from being dinged up in Week 1.

Hard to tell with Lacy. I can see the team treating him like the starting QB - play a series or two in each pre-season game, other than maybe the last one. He's not trying out for anything, so there's no reason to put him out there. OTOH Lacy seems to thrive with the work and might ask for more carries to get in game shape.

[wpony]

I still think thats why there are so many more injuries lack of preseason conditioning and playing time there bodies are not in foot ball shape when they come in and start the season they might be in great condition as far as weight rooms are cardio but soft in real foot ball condition "hitting,playing when tired and other things that mean football condition" they are way behind what the old players were at. But the players did it to them self's with the last couple of contracts.

[pbmax]

I still think thats why there are so many more injuries lack of preseason conditioning and playing time there bodies are not in foot ball shape when they come in and start the season they might be in great condition as far as weight rooms are cardio but soft in real foot ball condition "hitting,playing when tired and other things that mean football condition" they are way behind what the old players were at. But the players did it to them self's with the last couple of contracts.

Old players didn't come in during the offseason. It was actually the offseason. They used 2 a day camps to get into football shape.

[Patler]

Hard to tell with Lacy. I can see the team treating him like the starting QB - play a series or two in each pre-season game, other than maybe the last one. He's not trying out for anything, so there's no reason to put him out there. OTOH Lacy seems to thrive with the work and might ask for more carries to get in game shape.

Ahman Green rarely played at all until a couple series of the last preseason game. I expect they will eventually do the same with Lacy, but he might still have a little "learnin'" yet to do. Not that he will play a lot, but I could see him getting a couple series each game.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Soon there will be some measurables of the neck that supposedly will deem if a player is more prone to a neck injury.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I like Harris, Neal, and Perkins as much as Franklin. Should be a good battle for 1 or 2 spots.