NFL Notes: Franklin declines to take Saints job

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

The New Orleans Saints' schedule for today called for them to lift weights early, then take the practice field. Sometime between those two events, general manager Bill Kuharich hoped to hire an interim coach for his 2-6 team.

Kuharich thought he had his man Tuesday after Jim Mora suddenly resigned Monday afternoon, stunning his coaches, players and staff with the announcement midway through his 11th season.

Kuharich was so sure he had a replacement that he called a morning news conference Tuesday to announce that Chet Franklin -- the Saints' director of pro personnel -- would step in for the final eight games.

By the time reporters assembled, however, Franklin had second thoughts, and the Saints spent the rest of the day deciding they had to find someone else.

When Franklin detected a certain coolness to the decision from the assistant coaches, he decided he was not the man for the job.

"If we were going to fight this together and everybody rallied and said, 'Lets go,' I would have said, 'Let's do it,'" Franklin said.

Kuharich said he met with the coaches and some players, and had a second person in mind.

"Certainly in an ideal situation, you'd like to have somebody who's done it before," Kuharich said. "This is not an ideal situation."

* BENGALS: Three years after the New York Jets fired him for failing to sort out their mess, Bruce Coslet has another one to deal with. There are so many problems with the Cincinnati Bengals and so little time to straighten them out that Coslet's second head coaching job will be as tough as the first. "There's a whole bunch of little things that need to be fixed," Coslet said Tuesday, a day after replacing Dave Shula as head coach. "I can't even get into the specifics of it with you, but you've seen it. And it's just as things go along, I'll fix them -- or, I'll try to fix them."

* CHARGERS: Stan Humphries has yet to have a season in San Diego without a serious injury. The latest is a dislocated non-throwing shoulder, courtesy of a hit by Oakland's Chester McGlockton, that will keep Humphries out of Sunday's game at Seattle. "Whenever I do get hurt, it's no minor thing," the quarterback said Tuesday. The left sleeve of Humphries' T-shirt was limp and empty, his shoulder and arm wrapped tightly in a sling underneath. Sean Salisbury, who played well after Humphries was hurt in the 23-14 loss Monday night, will make his first start since the 1994 season finale, when he was with Minnesota.

* COLTS: Chris Hetherington went to college as a wide receiver and left as a quarterback. Now, he'll be competing for playing time at fullback with the Indianapolis Colts. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound former Yale quarterback was signed by the Colts on Tuesday to replace Zack Crockett, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Hetherington, who ranked second in the Ivy League with a 245-yard average in total offense, had been on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals since Aug. 27. A letterman in football, baseball, hockey and golf at Avon Old Farms High School in North Branford, Conn., Hetherington was to meet his new teammates for the first time today.

* FALCONS: The Atlanta Falcons waived goodbye to a disenchanted Jeff George on Tuesday, ending a stormy relationship that led to the quarterback's suspension, then his release. After 4 p.m. today, George is an unrestricted free agent. But any team claiming George on waivers assumes the remaining share of his $3.6 million salary -- about $1.9 million. "There really aren't any options," said coach June Jones, who suspended George for conduct detrimental to the team after a sideline tirade Sept. 22. Leigh Steinberg, George's agent, said he fears his client's salary may prevent him from getting signed.