Johnathan Franklin

[Patler]

I hate to keep ragging on the guy, but the game really seems too big for him. At the time of the draft, he was portrayed as a heady player, good in pass pro, good receiver and a guy who should be a dependable kick returner. Yet time and time again he seems intimidated by the situations he is in, and makes crucial mistakes.

A year on a practice squad would have been best for him.

[Cheesehead Craig]

The good news is, he's not being asked to do much, if anything now that Lacy and Starks are healthy. Yeah, the kick return was boneheaded on his part but it didn't hurt.

Given how the RB situation was and that he did alright in preseason, I think the PS idea is more hindsight than what was happening and seemed appropriate at the time.

[Patler]

The good news is, he's not being asked to do much, if anything now that Lacy and Starks are healthy. Yeah, the kick return was boneheaded on his part but it didn't hurt.

Given how the RB situation was and that he did alright in preseason, I think the PS idea is more hindsight than what was happening and seemed appropriate at the time.

I thought he did absolutely nothing during the preseason, and even worse looked very bad doing nothing. Because of that, I argued at the time of the last cut down that he should be released and brought back to the PS. If he signed somewhere else, don't worry about it. I am only repeating now what I advocated then.

He has looked overwhelmed since the start of training camp.

He probably mishandled three kicks last night, coming from 9 yards deep on one and getting only to the 10, failing to catch the second which hit in the end zone and could have been a disaster had it bounced sideways or back toward the field, and then the last that he hesitated about coming out or staying in on.

It's only a matter of time before a foul up like those costs them dearly in a close game.

[Guiness]

doubt he could've been snuck onto the PS

[Joemailman]

Franklin did not return kicks in college. Maybe they need to stop trying to force a rookie to something he doesn't do well. He's a running back. He's had a 100 yard rushing game this year. The coaches should put him in a position where he can have some success. Let Hyde return kickoffs.

[Patler]

doubt he could've been snuck onto the PS

If he couldn't have been, I wouldn't have cared.
He hadn't done anything that would have enticed a team to sign him to their regular roster (of course, neither did Charles Johnson) so signing him would have been a stab in the dark. Maybe he would have preferred to be on someone else' PS instead of GB's, but I wouldn't have cared.

[Patler]

Franklin did not return kicks in college. Maybe they need to stop trying to force a rookie to something he doesn't do well. He's a running back. He's had a 100 yard rushing game this year. The coaches should put him in a position where he can have some success. Let Hyde return kickoffs.

The story was that Franklin fielded kicks all the time in practice while in college, that he wanted to return kicks, and that his open field skills and smarts should make him an ideal kick returner. But I agree, at this point he has proven that he is not very reliable at it.

I don't thinkHyde has ever returned kick offs in college either, has he?

[pbmax]

Well Franklin might be demonstrating the difference between fielding kicks with no expectations in practice and actually having the job. I don't understand why he is back there. He never looked comfortable at any point even in the preseason. Not even camp, if we can believe reports. Was way too premature in my opinion.

As far as his RB skills go, he ran very well against a good Bengals team and looked like he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He looked like a different back in that game.

But those are 2 dimensions least called for right now. He needs time. It took Brandon Jackson 3 years to learn to pass block as the 3rd down back. He will likely develop, but I would be stunned if he is the KO returner anymore this year.

[Joemailman]

The story was that Franklin fielded kicks all the time in practice while in college, that he wanted to return kicks, and that his open field skills and smarts should make him an ideal kick returner. But I agree, at this point he has proven that he is not very reliable at it.

I don't think Hyde has ever returned kick offs in college either, has he?

Hyde returned punts in college, but not kickoffs as far as I know. Hyde just strikes me as the type that can make the right decisions about whether to return a kick or not. Punt returners have to make that decision all the time. With most kickoffs now carrying well into the end zone, decision making on whether to return a kickoff is more important than it used to be.

[Guiness]

If he couldn't have been, I wouldn't have cared.
He hadn't done anything that would have enticed a team to sign him to their regular roster (of course, neither did Charles Johnson) so signing him would have been a stab in the dark. Maybe he would have preferred to be on someone else' PS instead of GB's, but I wouldn't have cared.

He would've gotten picked up just because of his draft status as a fourth rounder...and one the pundits thought was a good value there. Some other team would've brought him in even just for a look see, the last time the Pack cut a 4th rounder (Aaron's distant cousin, Corey Rodgers) he did a little NFL farwell tour with stops in SF and other places I believe.

[Patler]

He would've gotten picked up just because of his draft status as a fourth rounder...and one the pundits thought was a good value there. Some other team would've brought him in even just for a look see, the last time the Pack cut a 4th rounder (Aaron's distant cousin, Corey Rodgers) he did a little NFL farwell tour with stops in SF and other places I believe.

Perhaps so, and again, I wouldn't have cared.
Chris Harper is another example of a rookie 4th rounder getting ample opportunities with other teams, now including both SF and Green Bay after the Seahawks released him and signed him to their PS.

Franklin shows some skills as a RB, but can't be trusted to hang on to the ball right now.
He appears to be a disaster waiting to happen as a kick returner.

If a guy can't contribute on the 53 man roster, I don't worry much about whether or not he can be signed to the PS. Most players in that position never become much, although the occasional Scott Wells does.

[gbgary]

I hate to keep ragging on the guy, but the game really seems too big for him. At the time of the draft, he was portrayed as a heady player, good in pass pro, good receiver and a guy who should be a dependable kick returner. Yet time and time again he seems intimidated by the situations he is in, and makes crucial mistakes.

A year on a practice squad would have been best for him.

he'd have been gone had that happened. he'll be fine. he showed in the cin game that he has skills.

[Patler]

He was a fourth round draft pick. Would it have really mattered to lose him?

I don't think the Seahawks are devastated over losing Harper.

[Joemailman]

The Packers are a draft and develop team. They'll stick with a guy as a rookie if they feel he has talent. Some guys just aren't ready as a rookie. But if they don't see development next year, he could be gone. See Terrell Manning.

[Patler]

The Packers are a draft and develop team. They'll stick with a guy as a rookie if they feel he has talent. Some guys just aren't ready as a rookie. But if they don't see development next year, he could be gone. See Terrell Manning.

Yup, I agree; but they often use the PS to hang on to the development projects, realizing that they will lose one from time to time if they do that. Guys like Giacomini and McDonald who they kept on the roster one year and later tried to get to the PS only to lose them to someone else, and Charles Johnson who the lost already this year.

When the team is struggling to find enough healthy players to fill the game day roster, I hate wasting a spot on a guy who isn't ready.