Deonte Banks made a bigger effort to own his mistake on the field than he did to get Jalen Hurts down on the ground.
Banks said Friday he addressed with his Giants teammates his lack of effort to tackle the Eagles quarterback during the fourth quarter of last week’s game before they all could see it during film review.
“I told them after the game that I had a bad play, before they even got a chance to see it,” Banks said. “I went to our team as a group.”
Led by head coach Brian Daboll, the coaches took the punitive tactic of scolding Banks but not taking away playing time.
Banks remained in last week’s game, said he wasn’t fined this week and was confirmed as a starter Monday against the Steelers by Daboll.
“We expect these guys every snap to play full speed to the tackle,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “That’s the standard we want to have here across the board. We’ve addressed it. Hopefully, moving forward, we can continue to see some progress in that regard from all our guys, too.”
The alarming part is it’s the second time in four games Banks’ effort has been questioned.
He was called out by defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for giving up pursuit of CeeDee Lamb about 20 yards from the end zone on a 55-yard touchdown reception during “Thursday Night Football.”
“I know I have to have better effort,” said Banks, who claimed that the plays against Lamb and Hurt are different circumstances. “It won’t ever happen again.”
The Giants are trying to curtail a repeat of 2016, when young cornerback Eli Apple repeatedly quit on plays and was called a “cancer” by teammate Landon Collins.
That defense melted into dysfunction as veterans Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins also skipped practices.
Giants captain Dexter Lawrence sent a firm — not divisive — message about Banks’ effort.
“It’s not acceptable,” Lawrence said. “He knows it. We addressed it and now everybody knows that’s not acceptable.”
Even if the Giants wanted to bench Banks, it might be tough to do and remain competitive.
Cornerbacks Tre Hawkins, Cor’Dale Flott and Adoree’ Jackson didn’t finish the game against the Eagles, and only Flott has a real chance to play against the Steelers — meaning the Giants likely will promote practice-squad depth.
“That’s all things that we discuss as a coaching staff,” Bowen said. “Where we’re at in that game comes into play. All those things are on the table. The job of a coach is to make sure you find the right buttons to press. We have to coach everything and make sure we’re not making the same mistakes — and learning from those mistakes.”
Banks, a 2023 first-round draft pick, is being asked to shadow some of the NFL’s best receivers as a first-time No. 1 cornerback. He has surrendered four touchdowns as the closest defender in coverage.
But struggling with technique or scheme is different from the baseline for effort.
Banks admitted after his play against Lamb he “could’ve done more” and said he holds himself to a higher expectation.
So, how does he justify the relapse that allowed Hurts to gain seven extra yards and a first down? Well, Banks said he misjudged how close Hurts was to the sideline.
“It was a bad play,” Banks said. “I had one bad play. A bad play doesn’t really judge a whole season.”
Henderson’s immediate angry reaction could be seen on the sideline. Banks said coaches let him know that “it can’t” happen again.
