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Orlando Franklin: We don't like our division rivals, and they don't like us

Denver Broncos offensive lineman

Orlando Franklin is giving Yahoo Canada Sports an exclusive first-person account of life in the NFL. Franklin grew up in Toronto before playing at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Broncos in the second round in 2011.

We’re getting ready to play the San Diego Chargers on the road this week and it’s always a hard place to play. Anytime you get a division game, it’s going to be a tough matchup. You can always tell a game against a division rival. They actually feel different. You come out of the game a little more sore.

It’s definitely noticeable when we’re playing a team like San Diego, Oakland, Kansas City, our division rivals. They don’t like you, we don’t like them and it’s always been that way.

When you play a division opponent, you know you’re going to play them twice. Right when the schedule comes out before training camp you look for those days. You definitely pay more attention to it. Those games are 60 minute games that you can’t tune out or ignore. They know us, we know them. They don’t like us, we don’t like them. I’ve been fortunate enough since I’ve been in the league we’ve made the playoffs every year. I’ve been spoiled in a way. Division games go a long way to deciding playoff fate.

I think we’re in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Last year we made the playoffs, Kansas City made it, and San Diego made it. Anytime you have three teams that make it to the playoffs it’s a good thing, it shows how competitive it is because only six teams make it from each conference.

All three of our division opponents are obviously big rivals for us. Other than those three teams, the New England Patriots are a big rival because you have Peyton Manning and Tom Brady going head-to-head, two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.

I don’t really have any personal rivalries with individual players. I know the defensive tackle I’m getting ready to go against this week, we both have Florida ties. I wouldn’t say there’s any rivalry – but you always want to play better than the person you’re going against. I thought it was cool that last week I went up against Stefan Charles, who plays for the Buffalo Bills. He grew up in Toronto like I did. He played as a kid for Scarborough Thunder like I did. I thought it was cool that we had a similar background then went head to head.

Last week there was that brawl in the Carolina-New Orleans game. I’ve never seen anything like that in the NFL, but when I was at the University of Miami every year when we played Florida State there was potential for that to happen. There was potential for a fight to break out. That rivalry, what it means to the players that go to each school, the alumni, it’s a huge rivalry. When you go to Miami and play Florida State, you spend a week hearing their music, that war chant, and it just boils your blood. If you go to Miami you pretty much told Florida State to take a hike when you were getting recruited. If you go to Florida State, you’re telling Miami to take a hike.

In the NFL guys like to make bets with each other on their alma mater. You always make bets whether it’s a few bucks, or the other guys has to wear the gear. I have a teammate, Tony Carter, who went to Florida State. I played against him in college. We always know when that Florida State-Miami game is coming up and it’s cool to talk trash during those big games. It’s always good to see your alma mater play.

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More from Orlando Franklin:

-How football led me down the right path, and to protecting Peyton Manning

-Giving thanks to the mentors who helped me get where I am today

-On being part of history, and what it takes to win big games

-A look inside the week-long grind of an NFL player

-What went wrong against the Patriots, and how we fix it

-On giving back to the community through charitable work

-I've never been 100 percent healthy going into a game

-On representing Canada in the NFL

-I love food, but I have to be careful what and how I eat

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