Tag: Carl Banks

Giants legend Carl Banks critical of Malik Nabers in hot-mic moment

Retired New York Giants legend Carl Banks offered up a critical take of WR Malik Nabers in a hit-mic moment.

The frustration in the land of the New York Giants (2-10) is boiling over these days.

Players are openly criticizing coaches and each other as the team continues to plummet toward the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

After the Giants’ 30-7 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers appeared to be highly critical of the team’s coaches and direction after not being targeted in the first half of the blowout.

“First, second quarter, I don’t get the ball,” Nabers told reporters while ranting about his lack of involvement in the offensive game plans, per the New York Post.

“Start getting targets at the end. I mean, can’t do nothing. Start getting the ball when it’s 30-0. What do you want me to do?”

Nabers did end up with six catches for 64 yards on nine targets in the game but he had a valid point. His transgression was saying it out loud in front of a group of reporters.

During the postgame show, Carl Banks, the Ring of Honor linebacker-turned-radio analyst, made this comment to co-host Amani Toomer, unaware the cameras were rolling.

“You know what’s so interesting too, is that our guys don’t value possessions,” Banks said. “Even your top pick drops one, crossing route, has it, then he misses it. Then he’s on the sideline, which probably should have been an incomplete pass, he just catches, he’s lackadaisical and the guy knocks it out of his hands. I’m like, ‘Bro, you’re trying to score. Value these possessions.'”

Banks didn’t realize he was on the air, but Nabers did know his comments would be documented.

That leads us to the overall state of the Giants. They never censored the players but they did limit their availability to the media. That doesn’t seem to be happening these days.

Nabers should have been shielded from the media until he was ready to speak. He’s a rookie whose emotions were running high and needed to be calmed down so he could objectively make his statements.

It’s a bad look for the organization. Being disorganized and undisciplined on the field is one thing, but off the field is another issue.

The brand has been taking hits for several years now and all head coach Brian Daboll says is that he keeps all conversations and discipline private.

That’s fair, but it’s also not working very well.

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Giants greats Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks inch closer to Hall of Fame

Three former New York Giants, including Ottis Anderson and Carl Banks, have inched closer to induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants greats quarterback Charlie Conerly, linebacker Carl Banks, and running back Ottis “O.J.” Anderson are among 60 former NFL players who are advancing to the next stage in the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 in the Seniors category.

For an individual to be considered, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season.

Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, “the separate nine-person Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will make additional reductions in increments over the next several weeks. In late fall, this committee will select three Seniors as Finalists for possible election with the Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge IT.”

Conerly led the Giants to the 1956 NFL Championship and was the league MVP in 1959. He played for Big Blue from 1948-61, had his No. 42 retired, and is a member of the Giants’ Ring of Honor.

Banks, also a Ring of Honoree, was a two-time Super Bowl champion, a First-Team All-Pro (1987), and a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

Anderson is the St. Louis Cardinals’ all-time leading rusher who was traded to the Giants after six seasons. With New York, Anderson was a manager of two Super Bowl-winning teams and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXV. He is also enshrined in the Giants Ring of Honor.

Former Giants defensive back Everson Walls is also among the 60.

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14 former Giants among senior nominees for Hall of Fame Class of 2025

14 former New York Giants, including Phil Simms and Carl Banks, are senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

In an effort to correct the sins of the past, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revamped their process when it comes to reconsidering players whose eligibility has expired.

Starting this year, an 11-person panel will review a list of 183 players for consideration for enshrinement. Only three will be nominated for induction in this year’s class.

To be considered in this group, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season.

For the New York Giants, there are 14 names up for consideration, including quarterbacks Phil Simms, Charlie Conerly and Jeff Hostetler, running back Ottis Anderson, linebacker Carl Banks and tight end Mark Bavaro who will get another look from voters.

Other Giants on the list include running back Herschel Walker, flanker Homer Jones, end Del Shofner, defensive linemen Rosey Grier and Leonard Marshall, defensive backs Jimmy Patton and Everson Walls, and punter Sean Landeta.

With the Giants celebrating their 100th season this year, it would be fitting if they could land a player on the finalists list later this fall.

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Lawrence Taylor: Aging Giants legends are better than current team

Lawrence Taylor says he could pick 22 random legends from the top 100 and immediately perform better than the current New York Giants team.

Nearly 100 franchise legends were in attendance for a Week 1 game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, which turned out to be a humiliating home drubbing.

The Vikings wiped the floor with the Giants, 28-6, in a game that wasn’t even that close.

By halftime, it was clear the Giants had little fight in them and weren’t capable of competing against another bottom-third team. It frustrated several of the all-time greats, including the usually tight-lipped Lawrence Taylor.

While lining up to be honored, Taylor leaned over to Carl Banks and made an admission that should concern co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch.

https://twitter.com/CarlBanksGIII/status/1833230913477742669

“I can tell you when we were lining up to go out to be introduced as the top 100 players,” Banks said on the Bleavin Giants podcast, “And a guy who never really comments on games because he doesn’t watch many of them, was Lawrence Taylor.

“He looked at me and this is a true story, folks. If you want to know what we were thinking at halftime, Lawrence looked at me and said, “Carl, I could pick 22 of us right now and go out and play better than these guys. We’d win this game.’ And the youngest guy in that like was probably 50 years old.”

Hyperbole? Probably not as much as some would want to believe.

“Lawrence Taylor looked at me and said, ‘I can get 22 of us and go out there right now and whoop these guys (expletive),” Banks said.

Recently voted the best player in Giants history, Taylor is never short on confidence and intensity. He undoubtedly believes what he said and the sad reality is, it’s probably closer to true than not. And that’s a really sad indictment about where the organization currently is.

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Carl Banks and the Daniel Jones reality ‘people want to discount’

New York Giants legend Carl Banks talks about quarterback Daniel Jones and the “reality that people want to discount.”

New York Giants legend Carl Banks is often called a Daniel Jones apologist for his analysis of the controversial quarterback, but that hasn’t changed his approach to commentary.

Banks remains true to his eyes and football knowledge when it comes to Jones, which has, at times, created a social media whirlwind.

Recently, Banks took aim at Giants fans who have made it their life’s work to — as he puts it — crap on DJ.

“I think we’re in goofy land right now. Let’s preface this: There’s a certain sector of folks that call themselves Giant fans that have made it their life’s work to (expletive) on Daniel Jones,” Banks told Bob Papa. “And it’s to the point — and they don’t even realize it — it’s to the point to where they’re so goofy with these takes, that it’s making Daniel Jones a sympathetic figure.”

After further pushback from the “goofy” social media crowd, Banks again sought to balance the illogical hate with a tiny bit of reality.

During an interview with Forbes, Banks stated the obvious: A historically bad offensive line will negatively impact any quarterback under center, Jones included.

“Some people think he was never good and that’s fine,” Banks said. “In the NFL, if you give up a historical amount of sacks, number one, your quarterback doesn’t finish the season. Number two, he doesn’t make great decisions under duress because he’s getting hit so much. That’s a reality that people want to discount. I’m a guy who hit quarterbacks. I know how it impacts their decision-making. And when you give up a record amount of sacks, decision-making gets tough.

“(Jones) didn’t play well last year prior to getting injured. But he would tell you that too. There’s a cause and effect to that. People always accuse me of being a Daniel Jones sympathizer, but I understand how the game is played and fans see it in a different lens. You have to look at the entire process of why people fail or succeed.”

As Jones continues to recover from a torn ACL, Banks believes the starting job is his to lose — even with veteran Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito lurking.

“It’s Daniel Jones’ job to lose, but I think they’re going to compete,” said Banks. “I don’t think it’s really going to matter if the offensive line doesn’t play well. I think this offensive line will be the key to whoever wins the starting quarterback job. If it’s Drew Lock, I think everybody will get behind that. But it’s Daniel Jones’ job to lose.”

In an ideal world, the Giants’ offensive line will take a significant leap forward in 2024, allowing Jones to remain healthy and productive.

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Giants legend Carl Banks: We’re in ‘goofy land’ with the Daniel Jones hate

Retired New York Giants legend Carl Banks says the personal hate and 24/7 attacks on QB Daniel Jones have reached “goofy” levels.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to his performance on the field since entering the league.

Jones is the quarterback — the face of the organization — and when that organization is failing, fans clamor for his head. It’s the same with any team, but it feels like Jones takes more of a beating than most NFL quarterbacks.

Retired Giants legend Carl Banks thinks it has gone too far now and that the entire charade is “goofy.”

Bob Papa brought it up in conversation when a tweet that had nothing to do with the Giants turned into a negative conversation about Jones — something that happens with remarkable frequency.

“I think we’re in goofy land right now. Let’s preface this: There’s a certain sector of folks that call themselves Giant fans that have made it their life’s work to (expletive) on Daniel Jones,” Banks said. “And it’s to the point — and they don’t even realize it — it’s to the point to where they’re so goofy with these takes, that it’s making Daniel Jones a sympathetic figure.

“And what it does is forcing people, which I’m seeing more and more of, forcing people to say, ‘Look, he didn’t have certain things, and there weren’t certain things in place, and he’s had several different coaching staffs.’ And so, this constant beating on a guy that you’re supposed to be a fan of his team, it’s just outright goofy. It’s so overdone right now. It’s… not exhausting, it’s tired.”

The immediate response to Banks’ comments only further solidified his point.

“Now it’s the fans’ fault,” a user wrote on the Big Blue Interactive forum. “DJ will go down as the worst quarterback ever to play the position but it has only been because of the coaches, the lack of weapons, the crappy OL, and now the belligerent fans. There is simply no place in professional sports for the victim card. What an utter embarrassment for this franchise.”

The worst quarterback to ever play the game? That’s a goofy statement.

Another user took things even further, likening Jones to a young murderer.

“Banks is a company man,” they wrote. “Found it funny when he sympathized with DJ for having multiple coaches. Almost like the classic (case) of sympathizing with the kid who killed his parents because he is an orphan.”

Once again, that’s goofy.

Others took direct aim at Banks on social media, peppering him with expletives and ultimately proving his point in the process.

It has gotten a little bit crazy with all of the hate toward Jones, but there’s no changing that until the Giants actually do something with him under center. Until then, the battle (and goofy hate) will rage.

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Carl Banks believes Giants QB Daniel Jones may have been ‘shell-shocked’ in 2023

New York Giants legend Carl Banks thinks QB Daniel Jones may have been “shell-shocked” in 2023 due to the team’s porous OL.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been the subject of scrutiny since he was drafted in 2019. He’s gone through three coaching changes and an entire front office change in five years, but NFL metrics don’t really care about your circumstances.

Last season was Jones’ worst to date, even before he was injured.

But there may have been a specific reason for Jones’ regression in 2023. Giants legend Carl Banks feels he may have been “shellshocked” as the result of the beating taken behind one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history.

“And the other thing . . . is his mental state, right? He’s been beat up and I don’t have any doubt that he’ll go out and he’ll compete,” Banks said on the Bleav in Giants podcast. “But when the lights come on and the bullets start to fly, is he PTSD? Is he traumatized? Is he having flashbacks? Right? Is he shell-shocked because he took a lot of punishment and it impacted his judgment in the game?

“And that’s not an excuse. It’s fair and it’s not a lie. You know, when people say, well, you know, Daniel just can’t do this and you blame everything on the offensive line. Well, that’s how it works in the NFL. Quarterback to have time, (they) make good judgments. Quarterbacks get hit a lot, they make bad judgments.”

Banks said several things in that statement that everyone needs to see: PTSD, traumatized, and flashbacks. If you’ve ever been traumatized or had PTSD related to trauma, you know that when the trigger shows up, your body and brain slip into survival mode.

When that happens, a person has limited control over how their body responds. This means that a person could freeze up (a real problem for a QB) or run straight into danger to go through it (likely causing injury).

No one wants to say this can be his excuse but if Jones is having a trauma response because his line previously failed him resulting in hits he shouldn’t have had to take, that is absolutely not his fault. It’s an organizational failure and one that will negatively impact Jones for, potentially, the rest of his career.

Was Jones ‘shellshocked’ as Banks suspects? It’s hard to say. But it would certainly explain some of his reactions last year.

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Carl Banks calls for the end of personal attacks against Saquon Barkley

Carl Banks says it’s time for New York Giants fans to quit with their personal attacks against Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley.

New York Giants Ring of Honoree and current radio analyst, Carl Banks, has had enough. He is calling for a cease-fire from Giant fans who have been lambasting Saquon Barkley since he signed on with the rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency last week.

“Saquon Barkley has put this team on his back. He’s a New Yorker, once a Giant, always a Giant,” Banks said on the Bleav in Giants podcast. “And that fits him. And I hate the effing Eagles. I do.

“And I’m going to root for Saquon Barkley for 15 weeks. I’m going to wish him love and success for 15 weeks. The other two weeks, I hope he gets two yards. And if they see him in the third week, I hope he gets less yards than that.

“Other than that, the kid has been everything that you would want a star player to be within your organization and outside of your organization. And, you know, again, I’m not singling out all fans but some of the behavior, some of the rhetoric towards you.”

Barkley was not assigned the franchise tag this offseason, as he was last year, and became a free agent. He quickly inked a three-year deal with Philly worth a reported $37.5 million which added to the fans’ ire.

It was later learned the Giants did not make Barkley an offer nor a counteroffer once he became a free agent.

The Giants then moved on at running back, signing free agent Devin Singletary and angling towards a running back ‘by committee’ approach.

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Giants legend Carl Banks steps in after Breece Hall harassed at airport

An angry autograph seeker became confrontational with Jets RB Breece Hall before New York Giants legend Carl Banks stepped in.

The rivalry between the New York Giants and the New York Jets began with their first meeting in 1970. They’ve shared a city since the Jets were formed in 1954 but didn’t meet on the field for 24 years.

Since that first meeting, though, these sibling teams have battled hard.

Similar to real-life siblings, just because the Jets and Giants don’t like each other on the field doesn’t mean they will let a member of the opposing team get harassed by anyone else.

A prime example of this happened when Jets running back Breece Hall returned to New York after spending a week celebrating the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

While waiting for his luggage at the baggage claim, Hall was approached by a fan who wanted his autograph. Hall didn’t want to sign whatever the fan had, which is his right, and so he declined.

The fan, though, wasn’t happy about it and a confrontation ensued. Witnesses did their duty and recorded what happened from there.

In the video, which is not safe for work (NSFW), you can hear the disgruntled fan saying, “So, be a man. If you’re gonna slap me, slap me!”

Hall, though, managed to keep his cool and that’s when Giants legend Carl Banks stepped in. Literally. He put his entire body between Hall and the fan and encouraged the fan to move along.

It wasn’t until a bystander reminded the fan that getting into an altercation at an airport was a federal offense that the ticked-off fan finally walked away.

TMZ Sports asked Banks why he helped Hall, to which Banks said that he wasn’t “going to stand by and let his buddy get screwed with.”

Like any big brother or sister, the Giants won’t let anyone mess with their younger sibling. Banks is the epitome of what it means to be a professional, and this is a shining example of why he is so respected across the globe.

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Carl Banks: Giants QB Daniel Jones ‘has to play better’ in 2024

New York Giants great Carl Banks says quarterback Daniel Jones will have to play better in 2024 or risk being shown the door.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones regressed in 2023 before suffering a serious neck injury and, eventually, a season-ending ACL tear.

The step back came after Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract that was widely panned by fans and NFL media alike. It has thrust the Giants into a precarious position as they hold the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Despite all of that, general manager Joe Schoen remains committed to Jones as the team’s starter — when healthy. The team is hopeful he returns in time for training camp but there is a very real possibility that Jones misses games next season.

Whenever he does return, the leash will be short. Jones will have to play better from the jump, says retired Giants great Carl Banks.

“I am, for transparency, a big Daniel Jones fan. But I will be the first to say that he took a step back this past year,” Banks told Mail Sport.

“But I’ll also add context to that and say, I can understand why. His offensive line was awful. He took so many hits early. And people don’t want to understand that quarterbacks under duress — and I would challenge any individual who just continues to criticize the effectiveness of a quarterback who continues to get hit, I would challenge you to stand anywhere and get hit by a 2×4, about five times in a row and see if you can make great decisions.”

The Giants’ offensive line surrendered 85 sacks this past season, the second-most in NFL history. And all three of the team’s quarterbacks — Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito — suffered injuries as a result of the porous line. It was undeniably a factor in the poor quarterback play.

“It does impair your decision-making because I was one of those guys who was doing that to quarterbacks, so I know how it impacts them,” Banks said. “But he has to play better when he gets healthy. He will have to resume where he was starting to ascend to, and if he doesn’t, they’re gonna move on.”

That’s the nature of business in the NFL. Whether Jones is at fault or not, it’s a what have you done for me lately league. And with a potential out in his contract following the 2024 season, DJ had better find a way to make it work or his time in East Rutherford, as Banks suggests, will be up.

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