Andrew Franks – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
K Andrew Franks
(You’re looking a bit more rugged.) – “A little bit. A little more rugged.”
(What’s this transformation?) – “I don’t know. I just don’t like getting haircuts, I guess.” (laughter)
(Or shave?) – “Just letting it ride right now. We’ll see if I can make it to training camp with it.”
(Is it a superstition?) – “Not really. I just sort of felt like, ‘Try out some long hair. See what happens.’”
(You watch the guys in the NHL playoffs?) – “Not really. I’ve been trying to follow them.”
(Because they grow beards and…) – “I’m not there yet. Maybe (if) we get to playoffs.”
(Last time we talked to you at the Fins Weekend golf tournament, you told us what you did during the summer. Can you go back over that?) – “I did two externships. I did one with Under Armour for 10 days at their headquarters in Baltimore and worked, analyzed, learned from the guys that worked there and the whole business aspects of research, design, marketing, the whole flow of the system and how that really translates to the gear we have now and really understanding that. That was really informative. I had a really good time doing that. And then I had another one at Stryker – Stryker Medical – in San Jose in their endoscopy division. Really sort of the same sort of approach that I did with Under Armour really taking the full, whole scale look at it really from design, idea generation, how they do clinical trials, testing and all that back to marketing, troubleshooting – taking a look at all of it – (and) really getting what my degree in college would have translated to if I had went that route.”
(And how good was that? How beneficial was it for you?) – “I think one of the biggest things that I think lacked from my college education – I think most college education – is how it really translates to the real world. You can learn all these equations, learn all these different equations and how to use them but putting them towards an actual project that has real life applications is something that really I think is missed a lot. So really understanding that – what a biomedical engineer, electrical engineer, all those guys how they work together, how those teams work together and how they start from the beginning to the end – I think is really important.”
(Are you smarter than Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke?) – “I don’t know. I have no idea. Maybe in a few things.” (laughter)
(What do you hope to do with this now? Is it something what’s sort of setting you up for post football way down the road or what?) – “I think for me, it’s something I always want to keep in my back pocket whenever this career ends. It could be tomorrow, could be in 15, 20 years. You never know. I’d rather have that information and never use it than need that information and not have it.”
(Why don’t I take you back to Christmas Eve (versus Buffalo)? Obviously that was a turning point going with this team and you personally. A.) how many times have you watched the kick since?) – “I had a ton of friends send me the video, and I’ve watched it probably 10 times throughout the time. I watched a lot of it just to analyze the film itself to see how my form was, how the ball flew, everything – snap, hold, kick – from just an analyzing format. Beyond that, it’s a cool kick to watch. People will show it to me when I visit. I’ve seen it quite a few times.”
(In the moment did you know how big that was or you kind of have to be removed from it then?) – “I think, especially in an event like that, you really have to take yourself out of the game a little bit. I think I kick the best when you take the pressure of the game away from it. When you’re calm, relaxed, that’s really when you kick the best. I think at that moment it’s a rushed field goal. We got a couple of seconds left. It’s a long one in Buffalo of all places and at that point, you got to remember just to kick the ball. That was really my mindset towards it.”
(One more follow up. Associate Head Coach/Special Team Coordinator Darren Rizzi obviously knows the percentages of you at what point of the field and all that. What percentage of a kick do you think that was with all of the factors involved?) – “I can’t really put a percentage on it. It’s Buffalo, so you never know how the wind is going to fly there. You can look going left, but it can really be going right, especially in December. It’s a low percentage kick for the most part – I think for most guys – and I think it’s pushing the distance. I think it was what, 55? Around there? But it’s a low percentage figure I think for most guys in that sort of weather.”
(You got two field goals in a playoff game, how much does that help you considering circumstances going into next year?) – “I think it was big. That’s where you want to be. You want to be in the playoffs. You want to be competing trying to get to the Super Bowl. Being in that position, understanding the ramifications of every play during those games is really big. I think playing the games in … I forgot the temperature. It was like subzero temperatures in Pittsburgh, freezing cold with a ton of wind, getting those tough kicks out of the way, understanding that whatever the conditions are you can get the ball through, I think was really important for me.”
(How big of a confidence boost is it that the Dolphins have not brought in a kicker?) – “For me, I always like competition. I always like comparing myself. Just because there’s not a guy on the team roster that I’m competing with, I really look to everyone else in the league. I don’t want to be in the middle or the bottom of the league. I really want to aim for that top spot. It’s really looking at myself from last year, looking at everyone else from last year who kicked and really comparing and trying to keep pushing myself to be the best that I can be.”
(Doubling down on the confidence question, the way the season ended for you last year in the playoffs and the Buffalo game, do you think your confidence was at an all-time high?) – “I think I’m a pretty level headed guy. I don’t try to be too low; I try not to be too high. For me, it’s (about) trying to build one day after another. I think my confidence has always been pretty consistent. I’m confident in what I can do. I’m confident that I can help this team. I think that’s something I brought with me from the first day I came here.”
(The canopy at Hard Rock Stadium, did it have any effect on kickoffs or field goals or extra points as far as wind or anything?) – “I think it cut down a little bit of the wind. I think it created a few more different air channels in there that made the wind act a little funny when we first went there. It was pretty easy I think to figure it out. It’s definitely nice at least for the fans – as far as I can see – and friends and family that have come (and) cutting down on the rain dropping on their heads. They liked that a lot, and they love the shade.”
(It’s National Best Friends Day. Did you get P Matt Darr anything?) – “Is it? I did not know that. Where is he? Someone grab him.” (laughter)
(Going back to those two externship experiences you had, what the reception was like? They probably don’t get too many NFL players going through there all the time.” – “Not that I know of, I know for the Under Armour one that was through the NFLPA. There was 14 NFL guys in our group. I think there are a lot of athletes – college athletes especially – that work at Under Armour. For them, I felt like it was almost an everyday experience for them seeing professional athletes. But for Stryker that was just me. I think that was cool for them to see a guy who’s playing in the NFL, someone they see on TV. That’s 45 minutes from my hometown too. So, they’ve heard of Carmel, (California). They know my story for the most part. It’s cool for them to see a hometown kid trying do this on the side.”
(Athletes in general feel invincible, and they don’t look that far ahead. Do you find any other guys in the locker room entertaining down the road what they might do post career? Is that ever a discussion?) – “I think it’s a really common thing actually. I think a lot of guys are really looking at the fact that this career could end any day and (are) trying to gain knowledge in terms of what they want to do afterwards – whether they’re 30, 40, 50 – (and) trying to see where their future lays, where they want to end up, what jobs are appealing to them. I think those are huge things that people are really taking advantage of now. I think the NFLPA has done a really good job of helping us with that.”
(Styker, that’s medical equipment?) – “Yes.”
(20 to 25 years from now – I know that’s a hard question to answer – what might you see yourself doing?) – “Hopefully at that point I’m retired. That would be awesome. (laughter) Hopefully in 20 to 25 years I’m still kicking. K Adam Venatieri is still doing it. He’s still looking strong. That’s the plan for now and once that deviates, we’ll see what happens. I would like to use my degree at some point, but I’m not trying to push that for right now.”
