Banks Needs to Earn It

First...before you all attack me...I AM A FAN OF BRANDON BANKS. I think that he is a good player with a ton of speed and potential.

Unfortunately, one key area that he lacks in is his size. Meaning...he has none.

Let's face it, weighing 165 pounds and standing at 5-7 isn't going to cut it in the NFL. He is simply too small....to play wide receiver.

With all that in mind, Banks' best shot to make the 53 man roster is to be an absolute stud on special teams. He has no choice but to average over 25 yards pick kick-off return and over 15 yards per punt return. Both of those he is more than capable of doing.

With the addition of Pierre Garçon and Josh Morgan, Banks' chance of making it on the roster as a wide receiver are all but gone. In terms of receiving, there's only one thing he can do: deep routes. He is so much faster than the rest of the receivers that that will be one thing that keeps him on the roster. Speed is his greatest asset and it's going to be the one thing that keeps him on the roster.

However, the Redskins don't run very many pass plays that have a deep receiver (even though they have the capabilities). Many times last season we saw them just try nickel and dime their way down the field.

With the addition of Robert Griffin III, that could all change. Griffin throws a much better deep ball than Rex Grossman and John Beck combined and from what I've been seeing and reading about at training camp, the Redskins plan to exploit that.

Still, for me, the only place where Brandon Banks can make this team is on special teams. He is too small to play receiver. Any corner back in the league that tries to press him is just going to lock him at the line and overpower him before he can get going.

I still think that Brandon Banks would be an excellent threat on special teams. He gives opposing coaches something to worry about the night before the game. The age old question of "do we kick to him or not" will always be present with Banks back there.

I'd love to see Brandon Banks on the roster just as much as the next guy. But in order for that to happen, he's going to have to be one heck of a returner if he expects to be on the sideline when the Redskins square off against the Saints week one.

Like the old saying goes: speed kills. And for Brandon Banks, he is going to have to have a killer instinct if he want's to make the final cut.


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