Post by MOnarchsRule on Jul 12, 2007 15:37:25 GMT -5
Aubrayo Franklin at his press conference signing in Kansas City
Aubrayo Franklin couldn’t crack the starting lineup of the vaunted Baltimore Ravens’ defense, but he comes to the Monarchs with a position tailor-made for his talents. Coach Donnie Henderson knows Franklin, having coached him his first season in Baltimore, and the Monarchs are counting on the unheralded veteran to anchor their defensive line, and the move has paid off.
The Monarchs simply didn’t get it done as far as run-stopping. last year as they made an honest attempt to find another DT, primarily a run-stopper, to solidify his defensive front four.
Henderson tried to implement his Ravens' system when he arrived, and even led the league in fewest point given up, but they still had problems stopping the run - the personnel simply wasn’t there to run the scheme. Last year, the Monarchs tried everything, even bringing in NFL veteran Sam Adams, but nothing they did could give them the combination of quickness and space-eating bulk for a run-stopper that is required to make the system work. So when the Monarchs went free-agent shopping in March, a bonafide run-stopper was at the top of the list.
And Henderson knew right where to look.
“I played with Coach Henderson in Baltimore, and he pretty much knows what I can do,” Franklin said. “He knows the things I’m capable of.”
Not many outside Baltimore know much about Franklin, because he played behind Kelly Gregg, an impact nose tackle whom Franklin says he patterns his game after.
But Henderson – the Ravens’ secondary coach from 1999-2003, during Franklin’s first season in the NFL – knew Franklin was something of a well-kept secret, and the coach also felt he was more ready to step in and make an impact on the nose than any prospect the Monarchs could have found in the XFL draft back in April.
“I’ve known him for a while,” Henderson said. “He has matured. He is better now than he was when I left him, no question. He can go to the ball and he has very good initial quickness. He understands blocking schemes well and he is a tough guy and good player who will help us inside.”
The Monarchs needed that help, because the whole flow of his version of the Ravens' 4-3 defense is predicated by what goes on up front. At 6-foot-1 and 320 pounds, Franklin certainly is here to help. And help he has, for the Monarchs lead the XFL against the run, giving up a measley 60.1 yards on the ground and 257 a game overall, also leading the league. They are tied for the #2 overall defense.
“The defense we had in Baltimore, we had the No. 1 defense in the NFL, and I played behind a great player in Kelly Gregg,” Franklin said. “I’m just going to come in here and bring the same mentality that we had over there. I’m comfortable in what we’re running here. It’s basically the same thing we ran in Baltimore. I made my mark there in Baltimore coming in in our rotation. Some of our backups there probably would start anywhere else.
“It was my time to go somewhere else to shine. So here I am.”
And so he is.
“I’m just going to come in here and bring the same mentality that we had over there,” Franklin said. “I can occupy blockers, and I feel like I’m pretty quick. We’ve got a good corps of guys who are hungry to go out there and win, and I’m ready to go out there and take that next step.”
The success of the Kansas City defense in 2007 is depending on it.