Orlando Franklin hit the road Friday afternoon, heading home from a day spent at Chargers Park. He was in his Hummer — he loves his Hummer — cruising down the highway.

He loved his Hummer.

“This lady switched over three lanes in front of me, kind of slammed on her brakes,” Franklin said. “I got into a pretty good wreck.”

The collision didn’t slow him Sunday.


The Chargers left guard logged a hustle play during a 38-14 win over the Jaguars. When wide receiver Tyrell Williams turned a shallow crossing route into a 44-yard touchdown, it was not a surprise to see the 24-year-old turn on the jets. It was a sight, however, to see the 330-pound Franklin give chase.

Williams made some jukes and cuts. That allowed his lineman to catch up and provide an extra nudge from behind as Williams crossed into the end zone.

Coach Mike McCoy showed players video footage of that play Monday toward the end of a team meeting. The highlight of Franklin’s effort was one example of many he singled out as part of a collective point.

“We’ve created a way we want to play football here,” McCoy said. “There’s a new culture, and every year, your team changes. I think the first two weeks, seven out of the eight quarters are some darn good football. I think everyone knows when you turn our tape on, this is the way we want to play in all three phases. I think Orlando’s play is a perfect example.”


Most players are sore after games.

Franklin was considerably sore before.

The Friday collision led to his Saturday placement on the Chargers’ injury report; he was listed as questionable to face Jacksonville with a neck injury.

He seems OK. Physically, anyway.


“Right now, they’re thinking my Hummer might be totaled,” Franklin said. “We’ll see how that goes. … My Hummer is my baby. It’s going to be very depressing if they actually total it. Hopefully, I can get it back.”

Notable

The Chargers will give away more than 1,000 pairs of shoes to local children Tuesday. The 28th annual Back to School Distribution event will occur across five different Payless ShoeSource locations for kids in grades K-6. Payless and Dean Spanos, the team’s chairman of the board, funded the shoes. The participants were selected by their schools.

With running back Danny Woodhead placed on injured reserve, the Chargers signed Griff Whalen to the 53-man roster. The former Colts wide receiver has slot experience and also returned kickoffs and punts during three seasons in Indianapolis. Whalen worked out for the Chargers last week. He’ll return to Indy for Sunday’s matchup.

RELATED

Union-Tribune Sportswriters Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken discuss the Chargers win over the Jaguars and what the future holds for the offense without Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen.

michael.gehlken@sduniontribune.com


Twitter: @SDUTgehlken