SPOKANE, Wash. -
After a successful stint with the Spokane Shock in 2009 and a stint with the BC Lions in 2010, Stanley Franks knows football. He knows arena football and he knows the Shock are in for a whale of a season this spring.
Franks recently sat down with SWX's Michelle Dapper.
Q: Camps is about a week-and-a-half away. What are your thoughts?
A: "Just anxious and excited to get onto the field and put everything into action."
Q: You coach the DBs. Terrance Sanders… you played with him. What was that like?
A: "I actually played against him. We were on different sides of the ball. He played for Boise and competed when I was in Spokane in 2009. He's a good dude, I love his enthusiasm for the game. And then what he can do off the net. He just brings that veteran presence; he's been through the battle and been through the trenches and everything. That's good for the young guys in there as well."
Q: You kind of have a feel for what is coming into camp. Are you guys excited about that?
A: "We really are. We have more of a veteran presence coming in this year, which is good for the start of the season - guys that know the game, have been around the game…. We're going to really test the guys this year, see where they're at and see if they're really built for a season."
Q: You suffered an injury that ended your playing career. How's that going? Take me through that.
A: "It was just a freak injury, pretty much. I landed on a guy – the back of his foot, I believe. The way my knee hyper-extended tore all my ligaments; I had to have an artery replaced because it snapped. It was a season-ending knee injury but it was learning experience and now I'm doing the coaching and everything. Of course, I love the game and I'm fortunate to still be around the game."
Q: How do you get that [championship] mentality back… right now for Shock football?
A: "The players just have to believe in us. And we have to believe in them as well – on the field, and that we're going to give them everything we have, starting Day One at camp. They just have to buy in. That's our motto this year: All In."
*Mobile users can watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/XlkBxU
Stanley Franks returns for another season as a defensive backs coach for his former team (Photo: SWX)
