GREEN BAY – Judging by their first game together, it would be difficult to tell Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin just joined forces as a linebacking duo.
In Minnesota, despite the loss, they looked like they'd been partners a lot longer than a few months.
Cooper was the star, racking up seven tackles, two for loss, a sack and a QB hit (plus another half-sack that was wiped out by a downfield penalty). Franklin was in on the action, too, with four tackles and a QB hit that led to Keisean Nixon's interception on the first series of the game.
Their chemistry is evident to their teammates already, and there's a lot of anticipation for where this partnership is headed going into Week 2 against the Jets.
"You see the more that they stack reps in practice, the more comfortable they are," said safety Evan Williams, who sees them talking to each other after almost every snap on the practice field. "It seems like Coop and Z know the plays before it even happens.
"It's just a testament to their film study, understanding what's likely to come and their connection. They're playing great together."
As a combo, they each inject something special into the defense.
The third-year pro Cooper plays with the type of speed and juice that "energizes the whole team," according to Franklin. Meanwhile the nine-year vet brings a steady leadership in relaying the calls and getting his teammates lined up amidst what can be pre-snap chaos.
In wearing the green dot as the defense's primary communicator, it's as though Franklin's management of the unit allows Cooper to just play free and do his thing.
"I just feel like I'm better on the field when I'm controlling the traffic," Franklin said. "It's something I take a lot of pride in."
It was no surprise Franklin was voted a captain by his teammates despite being a newcomer to the group. He was a captain for six seasons running in Indianapolis, and he carries himself as someone in command. Head Coach Matt LaFleur calls Franklin "a grown-ass man."
Leadership-wise, LaFleur explained Franklin simply has been himself since his arrival, and he kept quiet early, earning respect through action and growing more comfortable the better he's gotten to know his teammates.
Naturally he knows Cooper best, and he's happy to take on blockers or dictate leverage in order to set up his partner to make the play. He brought that mentality from the jump, having seen film of Cooper's game and high-impact capability.
"I just feed off him, play off him," Franklin said. "I tell him, 'Look, Coop, I'm sending them right to you.' And he knows it. It's a tag team and we work together.
"I knew coming in, being able to play next to somebody that was young and talented like Coop, it's going to make the whole defense better. It's awesome."
Franklin calls Cooper's pass-rush ability perhaps the most underrated part of his game, so it's a good bet new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will look for those opportunities on a weekly basis. Gannon said Cooper played "lights out" against the Vikings, and there wasn't the least bit of surprise in his voice.
Williams referred to Cooper as the defense's "tone-setter," playing at warp speed "first snap to the last." But opponents also will adjust based on what Cooper put on film in the opener.
The interesting wrinkle this week is the Jets offensive coordinator is Frank Reich, who was Franklin's head coach from 2018-22. Perhaps his intimate knowledge of Reich's offensive system, albeit with a whole different cast of characters now, will help Franklin be in position as the playmaker Cooper was in Week 1.
"I love Frank, I'm not going to lie. I've got a lot of respect for him," Franklin said. "Obviously he's the head coach who drafted me. I played with him for five years. But I was on the scout team for four years, though. So I went against that offense a good amount."
No matter who makes more tackles or splash plays, the linebacking partnership is off to a strong start. Not a satisfying one, though, due to the outcome.
That's what the Packers are determined to change heading into Week 2.
"All three phases got something to prove," Franklin said. "Nobody's finger pointing because everybody had a hand in it. Let's just get back to work.
"There's no better medicine for a bad loss than the next game."
