Tony Banks has obviously not reached his potential yet, but he has a lot of it. As far as raw potential -- good physicality and a great arm -- few people have more than Banks has. He totally looks the part. The Cowboys certainly aren't getting Troy Aikman, but they are getting a physical body that doesn't have a lot of wear and tear on it.
|  | | Tony Banks has thrown for 61 TDs and 58 interceptions in his five-year career. |
There are millions of differences between Banks and Aikman, but the biggest one is the mental game. Aikman's mental preparedness and accuracy was the best in the game for a long time. For Banks, the mental game is the weakest element of his game. Nobody knows this more than Banks, and he's committed to working on it.
This has to be the year Banks elevates his game to the next level. For whatever reason, his game never got higher than the potential level in St. Louis and Baltimore. He showed flashes of brilliance, but he never got there. He needs to gain consistency. Dallas will provide a great opportunity for Banks to become more consistent because there's no question he'll be expected to lead this team. Of course, there's competition for every job -- nothing is handed to anybody in the NFL. But both Banks and the Cowboys know they've brought him in there with the specific intent to be the starter.
Banks needs to go into Dallas with the attitude of a free agent who didn't get drafted. He needs to fight and scrap for every opportunity he can, and put aside the obvious fact that he is so physically gifted. If Banks concentrates on playing smarter football, his physical talent will take over. He needs to have the attitude that he's going to play the rest of his career in Dallas and he needs to realize he doesn't have to do it all on his own.
Certainly, there will be pressure on him because the Cowboys are in a rebuilding mode. And there will be some mourning over the loss of Aikman -- guys like Aikman don't come along but once in a lifetime -- but Banks is just what the Cowboys need -- a young arm that is healthy.
This move is a good opportunity for Banks, and it's not a major risk for the Cowboys.
Sean Salisbury is an NFL analyst for ESPN. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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