There have not been many scuffles at Green Bay Packers training camp this year. That made Zaire Franklin and Tucker Kraft’s altercation on Tuesday one of the more noteworthy heated moments so far.
Kraft lowered his shoulder into Franklin near the sideline and knocked him backwards, leading to the pair chirping back and forth at each other after the play.
Speaking to the media after practice, Franklin clarified that there were no hard feelings and said they have breakfast together every morning. Franklin said of Kraft: “He brings that same energy, that same competitive edge, that same a--hole mentality that I feel like I bring on defense."
Green Bay’s new linebacker has certainly been making his presence felt at training camp.
Having arrived via
trade earlier this offseason to replace Quay Walker, who left in free agency, Franklin is presumably going to wear the communication helmet and function as the team’s Mike linebacker this season.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has admitted Franklin was a player they kept tabs on throughout his career, and has been impressed with what he has seen so far in green and gold.
Gutekunst said on Tuesday: “When we realized that Quay probably wasn’t gonna be back in Green Bay, I wanted to make sure we had someone who could step in and had already done it and played at a high level and certainly Zaire has done that.
“I also think playing that middle linebacker spot, there’s a bit of a personality and edge you have to have, and I think that can bleed into your team, and he has that and I’m excited to see if he can bring some of that to our football team."
The hope will be that Franklin can handle all the responsibilities that come with running the show and getting the defense organized, which should then free up Edgerrin Cooper to play with his hair on fire and go make plays.
Franklin is coming off arguably the worst year of his career with the Colts, and will need to bounce back at age 30.
That is not a given, but during camp he has been extremely active, including hauling in an interception at practice on Tuesday to end a two-minute drill. He is also bringing the type of energy the Packers expected and is committed to upholding the standard the defense wants to set.
Franklin told the media: “The playstyle we all committed to is about playing violent, playing aggressive and taking the ball away. I think we’ve done a great job of that so far.
“You’ve gotta play defense with an edge. That’s just an energy, that’s just a mentality and I think we’ve got the guys on our side to do that."
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Zaire Franklin bringing Tucker Kraft-like mentality to Packers defense
