Vikings Interested in Exonerated Linebacker Brian Banks
The Vikings could certainly afford a little more depth at linebacker (or any position, for that matter). But we don’t need a linebacker this bad.
Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN reported Saturday that the Vikings are interested in working out former University of Southern California recruit Brian Banks.
Banks was exonerated on rape charges in May after a five-year stint in prison and another five years on monitored parole after his accuser admitted she made the story up. He was a star middle linebacker at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, in Long Beach, Calif. Banks had verbally committed to USC before he was arrested and forced to forfeit his scholarship in 2002.
Now, I understand due diligence, but Brian Banks is not the answer.
While we’re at it, let’s sign Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens and Plaxico Burress — we could use a few wide receivers.
Don’t get me wrong, Brian Banks (probably) doesn’t have the the playbook ignorance of Ochocinco, the attitude of Owens or the shot-in-the-leg-ness of Plaxico Burress, but he still brings the circus.
It’s not Banks’s fault, but that is irrelevant.
Banks is 26 years old and hasn’t played organized football in over 10 years. Not only that, he only played as high as the high-school level.
Many prospects, including highly touted college recruits and top NFL draft picks, can’t adapt to the NFL game. Why would a former high-school star be able to jump to that level after 10 years off and no college experience?
He won’t.
Banks is the extreme long-shot of extremely long-shots. The most he could bring to a team is a little attention and stress to training camp before he gets cut, something a young Vikings’ team doesn’t need.
Banks has already been invited to training camp with the Seahawks. Hopefully Banks ends up another one of Pete Carroll’s mistakes instead of another of Rick Spielman’s.
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