Brad Banks First Professional Start

[nba_baller]

Quote: Originally Posted by TJdaSportsGuy

It's weird, but the Heisman Trophy winner isn't always given to the player with the most pro-football potential. The University of Miami had a QB named Gino Torretta who won the Heisman. He was a 3rd string QB for the Vikings for a couple of years but never took an NFL snap. Florida State had a QB, Charlie Ward, who won the Heisman, and he WAS drafted...by the New York Knicks of the NBA. He didn't even get a sniff from an NFL team. Winning the award for the best college football player doesn't always mean you'll make a good pro-football player.

Charlie Ward would've gotten drafted in the nfl but he chose to go to the nba.

[cliburn]

Quote: Originally Posted by dieselboy

He doesn't have a very strong arm, and he isn't too accurate either. He was just really mobile, but not enough to get him drafted.

He was 57% for 2573 yards, 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions his senior year (his only year starting) to go along with 435 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. He was listed as 6'1" 200 back then, so I guess he's shrinking. He probably is closer to 5'10" than he is 6'1" and that had a lot to do with him not being drafted. Historically, though, quarterbacks who only start for one year and do really well don't get drafted highly, if at all. The thinking is that they still don't have the experience they want and, even if they want the guy, they will be able to sign him as a free agent because no one else will draft him an inexperienced guy either.

[SPTO]

I watched some of the game yesterday. I think another reason why he isn't in the NFL is because one CFL coach said that Banks will only look for his primary reciever. If ther primary reciever is covered then he'll just take off with the ball. That's not exactly smart quarterbacking. It may work in college but it's not going to take you very far in the pros.

[bangpow]

Quote: Originally Posted by SportsmanTO

I watched some of the game yesterday. I think another reason why he isn't in the NFL is because one CFL coach said that Banks will only look for his primary reciever. If ther primary reciever is covered then he'll just take off with the ball. That's not exactly smart quarterbacking. It may work in college but it's not going to take you very far in the pros.

Well, so far it has "worked" for Vick.

[3bitz]

Shaun King and Kyle Boller are a few that had monster years and came from KNOWWHERE there are guys like these every year that get drafted and don't pan out. Brad Banks from what I've read was not smart enough to read defenses but who really knows the real reason because his enability to not read defenses properly hasn't hurt him so far..

[mercalnd]

I was at the Als game and saw him first hand. I think he's got some potential for the CFL. He made some great plays but I noticed that his best plays came when protection broke down and he had to run away from pressure before throwing. Most of the time, he would just throw 1-2 yard passes and let the receiver take the ball up the field. But it must be said that the Ottawa team is very bad so on a better team, I think he could achieve great things.

Quote:

Shaun King and Kyle Boller are a few that had monster years and came from KNOWWHERE there are guys like these every year that get drafted and don't pan out.

I think it's too early to call Boller a bust. He was having a good rookie year last year before his injury. He has the build and arm strength to succeed in the NFL and if Billick and Fassel stick with him I think he can be great in a year or two. Hardly any QBs do great things early in their careers and you must admit that Baltimore's offense isn't one that will make a QB make great strides in a short time. I can't remember any QB there that was impressive. So it's definitely too earlyto say that Boller didn't pan out.

[SoldierSooner]

Quote: Originally Posted by nba_baller

Charlie Ward would've gotten drafted in the nfl but he chose to go to the nba.

no he would not have...he was not that good, pro wise, at football..if he did get drafted, he would have been a very, very late round pick if anything

[ajaxab]

Having grown up in Canada and then been here at Iowa while Banks played, I always thought he would make a decent CFL quarterback, but definitely wasn't NFL calibre. He has the feet to make plays on the big field, but his arm strength is questionable.

He made a living here in '02 behind a great offensive line (Steinbach was an early second rounder to the Bengals and Gallery was #2 overall last year), had a solid tight end in now Indianapolis Colt, Dallas Clark and a pretty good running back in Fred Russell, one of the last Dolphins' cuts this last fall. Banks is alright, but he had a lot of talent around him to help him succeed. The offensive co-ordinator here also called plays that allowed Banks to stay within himself. The combination of all these things made him a Heisman candidate and a Davey O'Brien trophy award winner.

It's good to hear him getting a chance in the CFL.