Chris Russell of WTEM on Brandon Banks (per interview, no link): Banks may be gone

[SkinsTribeVA]

To everyone saying that the new kickoff rules devalued Banks: you do realize that punt returns just became a FAR more important aspect of the game, will remain so for quite a while, and Banks is one of the most electrifying young returners in the game?--we're talking poor-man's-Devin-Hester electrifying. He'll be on the team this season.

[lazarus0280]

Well, needing 90 bodies for the roster, I think he'll stick around at least a little while. No telling what injury bugs if any will strike this preseason. Some are expecting alot more injuries then previous years do to the shortened preseason. Then again the reverse could be true. I don't expect him to go anywhere though til at least after the first or second preseason game. When are the first big cuts due in?

[Redskins4ever]

I would hate to see Brandon Banks go. He had a pretty decent pre season last year playing WR. He's a dangerous return man on kickoffs and punt returns and has proven to give the offense great field position. Marty Schotteinheimer used to say that the game of football is all about field position. Banks is capable of returning a punt or kickoff for a TD most of the time and providing the offense with great field position. If the coaches think there is someone better at that than Banks on the roster currently, I'd like to know who it is.

[Dirt]

I can't remember exactly, but I think it was either the Titans or Bears(damn, which game was it??) last year that opted to punt away from Brandon Banks. Real bad punts out of bounds giving up great field position for the Skins. That's a huge impact on the game. BB affects the game. TD Banks are open on Sundays and while there's always other guys who can return kicks/punts, BB is special and must stay.

[Arsenic]

I asked Brandon, following Saturdays practice, how the new rules will affect him. Predictably, he responded "I'm gonna bring it out & take it to the house, just the same".

I hope we find a way to keep dude on.. With Banks back there, ya never know when he's going to break one; all eyes stay glued to the tv.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Hes the biggest proven weapon on our team right now and all he does is return kicks. Get him in there at WR and tell him to run straight. Its what the eagles do with vjax

[wilburmarshall]

Would have been nice if he could have avoided being stabbed. We might have been able to trade him for a very late rd. draft pick. I know it is stretching it, but the kid can return kicks.

[greenspandan]

man it would be really DUMB to get rid of our most explosive offensive player. i was really looking forward to seeing what he could do with a year of experience under his belt. it would be a bad move to let this guy get away.

[onedrop]

Hes the biggest proven weapon on our team right now and all he does is return kicks. Get him in there at WR and tell him to run straight. Its what the eagles do with vjax

i dig Banks heart and speed but the most PROVEN weapon on our team is Santana Moss.

[Griff]

I would be completely speechless if he is released. If you look at the most dangerous, electrifying kick returners in NFL history, most are not very productive starting position players, not because they can't but they are more valuable on special teams, ie. Devin Hester & Dante Hall.

If we cut him he will be scooped up by the Eagles or Cowboys in a flat@ss second.

[RedskinsNation]

The guy may have character issues indeed, its not a secret I guess. The thing is the guy is a skilled returnman. We dont have many game breakers at all other than Banks. Shanny, Fletch, Rak or SOMEBODY needs to pull the guy aside and tell him to straighten up. I mean if the coach/players cant police the guy and get him to act right then maybe cut/trade him etc is the only thing left to do if he's too much of a headache to keep around.

[Art]

WAY too far there. Like not even a smirk too far. You are sick my friend

Lighten up, Francis.

---------- Post added August-3rd-2011 at 09:50 AM ----------

I believe Banks will no longer return kickoffs, whether he's here or not. I believe Helu may get that shot. Teams like thicker guys back there on kickoffs.

Now, I'd let Banks keep doing it AND use him in the Wildcat some too. He has UNIQUE skills. You can't overuse him and keep those skills healthy. But you can use them smartly.

[Rypien1191]

If we cut Banks, it will haunt us forever.

[onedrop]

If we cut Banks, it will haunt us forever.

i dont want the guy gone but try not to be so melodramatic. hes a 5'7", 150lb return specialist. not the second coming of Sammy Baugh.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

i dig Banks heart and speed but the most PROVEN weapon on our team is Santana Moss.

Not saying he isn't proven but Moss hasn't been this type of weapon for a few years. Hes still really really good and im super excited hes back but everytime Banks has the ball he has a chance to score. I dont know if i can say that about Moss anymore. But either way they are both very good.

---------- Post added August-3rd-2011 at 11:31 AM ----------

i dont want the guy gone but try not to be so melodramatic. hes a 5'7", 150lb return specialist. not the second coming of Sammy Baugh.

Right so youre saying he's about the same size as Vjax.....hes pretty good.

[onedrop]

Not saying he isn't proven but Moss hasn't been this type of weapon for a few years. Hes still really really good and im super excited hes back but everytime Banks has the ball he has a chance to score. I dont know if i can say that about Moss anymore. But either way they are both very good.

---------- Post added August-3rd-2011 at 11:31 AM ----------

Right so youre saying he's about the same size as Vjax.....hes pretty good.

im not disagreeing on Banks potential when he touches the ball but compared to Moss' actual performance/output it isnt even close.

[Wheat]

man it would be really DUMB to get rid of our most explosive offensive player. i was really looking forward to seeing what he could do with a year of experience under his belt. it would be a bad move to let this guy get away.

He is not our most explosive offensive player. He did little to nothing on offense last year. In fact, they even tried a WildCat formation with him in the Vikings game and he gained all of 2 or 3 yards. He has value on Special Teams. In fact, he was our most explosive ST's player. But he is injured and an apparent trouble maker. He is too small, will be injured throughout his career because he will only be able to take so many hits. Is he worth a position because he may return to some of his explosiveness? He sat out practice today with swelling in his knee.

So we clear a spot for him and Aldrick Robinson or Niles Paul, both of whom are getting good reports from camp as WR's, get released or we lose them off the practice squad for a player of questionable value? Banks comes in and gives us another exciting 6-8 games and gets hurt again. Then we've lost. He is a high risk/high reward player. I think the risk out weighs the reward.

[Laxpunk2006]

He is not our most explosive offensive player. He did little to nothing on offense last year. In fact, they even tried a WildCat formation with him in the Vikings game and he gained all of 2 or 3 yards. He has value on Special Teams. In fact, he was our most explosive ST's player. But he is injured and an apparent trouble maker. He is too small, will be injured throughout his career because he will only be able to take so many hits. Is he worth a position because he may return to some of his explosiveness? He sat out practice today with swelling in his knee.

So we clear a spot for him and Aldrick Robinson or Niles Paul, both of whom are getting good reports from camp as WR's, get released or we lose them off the practice squad for a player of questionable value? Banks comes in and gives us another exciting 6-8 games and gets hurt again. Then we've lost. He is a high risk/high reward player. I think the risk out weighs the reward.

His durability is definitely something to consider. Sure he will be exciting while he's out there, but is his body going to hold up for when we're ready to make a run? Can we really rely on him still being an explosive, productive player in 2-3 more years? If not, then what's the point? Why not use that roster spot to develop a player with actual offensive value?

If we could get a draft pick out of him I would feel pretty good about trading him. I love him as a returner I'm just not sure we can dedicate a spot to that if he doesn't even have his head on straight.

[More Complete]

Chris Russell just again reported on his 980 update that Banks isn't a lock to make the team and mentioned what a "headache" he's been off the field as one of the reasons. Interesting. Where is he getting this? Have to wonder if it's just the knife/club incident, or if there is more to it. Russell certainly isn't specific, perhaps intentionally.

[Wheat]

His durability is definitely something to consider. Sure he will be exciting while he's out there, but is his body going to hold up for when we're ready to make a run? Can we really rely on him still being an explosive, productive player in 2-3 more years? If not, then what's the point? Why not use that roster spot to develop a player with actual offensive value?

If we could get a draft pick out of him I would feel pretty good about trading him. I love him as a returner I'm just not sure we can dedicate a spot to that if he doesn't even have his head on straight.

So we agree.

[greenspandan]

is there any statistical evidence that smaller players get hurt more often? people are taking that as a given, but it seems like i see fatties carted off the field more often than little guys.

[wrecker]

OOPS, The knee he had surgery on last November is swollen and he is sitting out of practice. Bad timing.

[MattFancy]

I like Banks, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if he is cut before the season. We just don't have a spot for him. Unless he shows in the preseaon that he can do more than just returns.

[DJD2]

Although I was wow'ed by his explosiveness on kickoff returns and punt returns, I must advise everyone that I was not a fan of Brandon Banks. Regardless how well he did, I couldn't forget his tweeting to the public a photo of his competition (Devin Thomas) apparently dozing during a meeting. (Regardless of what you think of Thomas, that was a cheap-shot thing to do -- and I just kind of soured on him, after that.)

Consequently, I didn't see Banks through the same positive lens that many did. I appreciated how he was speedster, but also noted how there were many times when he looked like a fumble waiting to happen. At the end of the season, his play did seem to drop off a bit -- but he was still an explosive threat.

So, this year, while I expect Banks to be competing for a spot -- I suspect he's got the following red-flags he's going to have to clear up.

1. Recovering from the knee (Does he still have the same speed?)

2. Recovering from the punctured lung (Can Brandon's chest and ribs hold up against a hard hit, or is it still a health threat?)

3. Showing improvement in securing the ball, quickly, and ensuring his smaller slender stature isn't going to be a factor in coughing up the ball.

4. His night-life antics ( The league now has new rules that also punish the franchise for a player's behavior. Is the FO is convinced that Banks has learned his lesson yet?)

5. The fact that he was caught in a lie by the videotape (So what story did he give to Shanahan, Snyder, and Allen? They may be reacting to being lied to.)

6. Possible additional disruptive interactions with team-mates and/or coaches (It's starting to seem like there might be some credibility to these rumors, and Shanahan is still weeding out players who won't work with his program.)

I suspect that the Skins will give this talented speedster a chance to address all of those concerns. But he's going to have to perform really well to get himself out of the predicament he got into.

And he's going to have to show a lot of reasons, why Shanahan and Co. would keep a return specialist and consequently have to drop at least two of the following: Kelly, Stallworth, or Paul. There's a big logjam at WR, and depth too.

Assuming Moss, Gaffney, Armstrong, and Hankerson are likely to be retained, and also assuming the Skins keep 6 WRs -- that leaves just 2 spots between Kelly, Paul, Stallworth, Austin, Robinson, and Banks. Maybe both Robinson and Austin can go back to the PS -- but after that, the price for keeping Banks on the active roster gets steeper.

Or maybe a few of these 'extra' 6thWR/Returners might wind up being stashed on IR -- but here too --considering Banks recent injuries-- Brandon might wind up being one of those candidate.

...Time will tell. However, Banks SHOULD get his chance during training camp, unless he's burnt his bridges more than I thought.

Evreyone should read this thoroughly.

And when you are done read it again.

Excellent summary.

[OuterBanksTarHeel]

is there any statistical evidence that smaller players get hurt more often? people are taking that as a given, but it seems like i see fatties carted off the field more often than little guys.

No, there is no statistical evidence and you're right to assume that fatties or people who can't move quickly are at greater risk than a guy who can juke the pants off defenders.

Something else people fail to account for is his height, which makes it very difficult for a defender to launch at him with full momentum, and makes it easier for Banks to get to the ground.