McCoy: Franks' 40 time, hoops, blocking are 'crazy'
Published: 8/31/2009 12:14 PM
Last Modified: 8/31/2009 12:14 PM
Gerald McCoy was taking questions about his good friend Dominique Franks the other day.
McCoy and Franks were on the same youth league football and basketball teams as kids. They're probably as good at their position — McCoy at defensive tackle, Franks at cornerback — as any college football player in the country. McCoy is frequently the most expressive player on the OU team, and this day was no exception.
I don't know if he meant to or not, but McCoy told reporters a few things they never knew.
Like when the youth league coach asked Franks to come out for football, Franks said he didn't want to.
And that, when he did, Franks was one of the biggest players on the team.
Believe it or not, as big as Dom is now, that's how he was as a little kid. He just like hasn't grown," McCoy said. "So he was our tight end.
"The most dynamic thing about Dom wasn't his speed. It was his crack-back blocks. They would just let him run upfield and we had a running back who was pretty good and he would run that sweep and Dom would wait for that guy and just chase him and he'd be like, 'Pow!' Like erase little kids. I'd be like, 'Sorry. Don't know what to tell you. I mean, we're winning.' "
McCoy suggested that, in spite of himself, Franks may be the Sooners' fastest player, and even threw out a ridiculously fast 40 time to back up his claim.
"He's like on another level, and I don't know where it came from! Like, he's fast," McCoy said. "Dom — if y'all watched the games, and clearly y'all have, you see Dom run — he don't pick up his knees. His feet like just drag across the ground. I said, 'Dom, think how fast you'd be if you just pick your knees up?'
"His feet just like rub the grass and he ran a consistent 4.2. With dragging his feet across the grass. 'Man, you pick your knees up, your combine times would be crazy.' He's a crazy athlete."
— John E. Hoover
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
