Thursday, Nov. 8, 2001

He’s a heartbreaker

Redskins need to be wary of Tony Banks

By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

There are several starters on the Redskins who are in the final year of their contract, including WR Michael Westbrook, TE Stephen Alexander, C Cory Raymer, DL Kenard Lang and QB Tony Banks.

Lang is a good bet to get an extension. He seems agreeable to the notion, provided the right fiscal incentive is dangled in front of him. Locking him up long-term would be a wise move, considering how well he’s played in this new Redskins defense.

But the newspaper reported that the team is also considering giving an extension to Banks.

What?

I don’t want to be a Banks basher. There are enough of those on this planet as it is. But let’s face reality. This kid will eventually break your heart. It happened in St. Louis and then Baltimore. The Cowboys didn’t let it happen to them, choosing to release him in training camp rather than suffer the same fate as his two prior employers.

And now it appears as if the Redskins are going to allow themselves to be fooled into thinking that Banks is the long-term answer at quarterback. While stranger things have happened (Trent Dilfer as a starting quarterback for the victorious team in a Super Bowl), I don’t see Banks as the guy.

Granted, he has really begun to look sharp in the last three games, all wins by the resurgent Redskins. During Washington’s win streak, Banks has completed 59.7 percent of his passes, which is impressive. He’s thrown five touchdown passes against two interceptions. Also pretty good. He’s demonstrated an ability to be part of some big plays, completing 85- and 76-yard passes within the past three games.

But I’m still not convinced. I’ve seen him tease coaches before. Only to ultimately let them down.

I don’t believe that head coach Marty Schottenheimer is married to the idea of Banks being the long-term starter in Washington. He may just be trying to protect the position because he knows there will be little available on the open market next spring. The coach will still likely draft a quarterback to be the eventual starter, and Banks will be around to hold the position.

But once Banks is relegated to the sideline, you want nothing to do with him. He will sulk and not prepare properly. He’s admitted as much, saying that he wasn’t a good backup to Dilfer last season in Baltimore.

With this in mind, I would caution the Redskins’ brain trust to refrain from getting too excited about what they’ve seen of Banks in the past three weeks. Yes, he’s been good. But let’s face it, over the course of his NFL career, he’s never been dependable.

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