Tag: Jerome Henderson

Giants rolling with CB Deonte Banks: ‘Gives us the best chance to win’

The New York Giants will return CB Deonte Banks to the starting lineup after his Week 8 benching: “Gives us the best chance to win.”

New York Giants second-year cornerback Deonte Banks will be back in the lineup this week against the Washington Commanders after getting benched at halftime on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

Banks was once again cited for substandard effort by the coaching staff who made a decision to replace the 2023 first-round pick with Greg Stroman for the remainder of the game.

“I think he’ll be ready to go,” head coach Brian Daboll said this week.

“Obviously, a tough challenge with No. 17 (Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin) over there who’s done a great job. He’ll have a good week here.”

Giants defensive backfield coach Jerome Henderson told reporters on Friday that he thinks Banks has “hopefully gotten the message” from the benching.

“Because we think he gives us the best chance to win,” Henderson said when asked why the Giants are going back to Banks this week, via NJ Advance Media.

“Otherwise, why would we not start him? Hopefully, he got the message from the Pittsburgh game, and we’ve moved on. We’re going to give him a chance to go out and show the player that he is.”

Banks will be charged with traveling with McLaurin again this week. He got the better of the Washington star in the first meeting, holding him to 22 yards on six receptions.

There was no clear-cut reason what the last straw was that led to Banks’ benching. Was it the George Pickens play in the end zone that Dexter Lawrence was critical about? Or perhaps the play where Najee Harris hurdled Banks?

It appears to have been a series of events going back weeks. Henderson had seen enough and decided to make a change.

“Just didn’t feel he was — or he has — consistently played up to the expectations the organization has for him, drafting him where he is. So wanted to really get his attention (with the benching), that we expect more,” he said.

“I want to see him in those moments be brighter, be bigger. That’s why we drafted him. That’s what I know he has in him. I want him to do it consistently and at a high level all the time. He has it in him to do it. It’s my job to get it out of him.”

Typical Giants. Taking two steps back before taking a step forward. Hopefully, for them, this will be the last we’ll be hearing about Banks’ effort.

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Deonte Banks thinks he could have made Jalen Hurts tackle but decided, ‘Nah’

New York Giants CB Deonte Banks says he could have made a tackle on Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts but decided, “Nah.”

There was a lot to unpack after the New York Giants were humiliated by Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon but one instance stood out because of the uncharacteristic nature of it.

It was the lack of effort and hustle on the part of cornerback Deonte Banks as he pursued a scrambling Jalen Hurts on the first play of the fourth quarter.

From Dan Duggan of The Athletic:

A lack of effort can never be excused. Especially not from second-year cornerback Deonte Banks, who already was called out by defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for not hustling after giving up a 55-yard touchdown catch to Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb in Week 4.

Yet, there was Banks, jogging as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambled 16 yards for a first down on third-and-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter. This wasn’t the type of loafing that is only revealed after watching film. It was obvious immediately, as evidenced by Henderson’s outburst on the sideline in real time.

The Eagles were ahead, 21-3, at the time of the run. They would take a 28-3 lead at the end of that drive on a “brotherly shove” that sent Hurts into the end zone.

In reviewing the tape, I gave Banks the benefit of the doubt. Hurts was teetering along the sideline and a hit could have landed him a personal foul penalty. But after hearing his reaction to why acted the way he did, I’ve changed my thinking.

“I think I could have made it, but sometimes when you’re in that moment, you just think like, ‘Nah.’ But I think I could’ve made a tackle,” Banks said, per Duggan.

What? This is the NFL. There is no half-speed.

Banks, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2023, appears to have made a business decision. In a business where winning is the goal, it was a bad one.

Henderson did attempt to address the issue with Banks along the sideline, but the tape shows Banks blowing him off.

After the game, head coach Brian Daboll danced around the issue but as of Monday, he had not assessed it with Banks.

“I kind of saw Jalen (Hurts) scramble. Then I saw Jerome (Henderson) right away on the sideline, and I know they talked about it in between series. So, it’s something that yesterday I said had been addressed. We’ll address that privately and get that better,” he said.

Asked if the lack of effort was acceptable, Daboll said it was not.

“Obviously we want maximum effort on every play. So, again, we’ve addressed that. We’ll continue to address it, and we’ll make sure it’s better,” he said.

What form that discipline will take is still to be determined.

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Giants’ Deonte Banks owns lack of effort: ‘Let emotions get best of me’

New York Giants CB Deonte Banks once again owned his lack of effort, claiming emotions got the best of him against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Facing a third-and-7 early in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts shook New York Giants linebacker Matthew Adams and took off down the field.

As he reached the first-down marker, he casually cruised by Giants cornerback Deonte Banks, who could have made a play on Hurts. Or the ball.

Instead, Banks did neither.

On the sideline, defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson erupted. Before the play was even whistled dead, he was screaming at Banks.

It’s not the first time that situation has played itself out this season. In Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, Banks had another no-effort moment that drew the public ire of Henderson.

Banks took ownership of his lacking effort against the Cowboys and did the same following Sunday’s 28-3 loss, but it came with a little something extra this time.

“I really just thought he was gonna slide or whatever, but it was a bad play by me, bad effort play by me. I think I could have made it,” Banks said, via the New York Daily News. “I play this game because I love this (expletive). Sometimes you get frustrated out there when (expletive) not going your way. That’s me just letting the emotions get the best of me.”

That was just one play for Banks, however. There were at least two others on the same drive where he showed a complete lack of effort.

Asked about Banks after the game, head coach Brian Daboll deflected.

“We’ll take a look at all that stuff and whatever we need to address, we’ll address. But, the guys are putting effort into it each and every week. We’re just, unfortunately, not getting the results and it’s a results business,” he told reporters.

“I’m not going to get into the sideline or coaching part of it. But, none of it was good enough today. I’ll leave it at that.”

Banks was one of two players (Tyler Nubin) who took 100 percent of the defensive snaps, although it could easily be argued that he didn’t play 100 percent of the actual game.

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Giants’ Brian Daboll mum on effort of Deonte Banks, who quit in Week 7

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll refused to address the play of CB Deonte Banks against the Eagles after he appeared to quit on plays.

The New York Giants were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-3, at home on Sunday afternoon but what may have been the most embarrassing moment was when cornerback Deonte Banks backed off on tackling Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts took off out of the pocket on the first play of the fourth quarter and zipped up the right sideline. Banks was bearing down on Hurts but appeared to intentionally whiff as Hurts went on to gain more yards before going out of bounds.

Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, who publicly called out Banks for a lack of hustle earlier this season, screamed at the young cornerback from the sideline.

Two other times on the same drive, Banks appeared to shy away from engaging on a play.

Head coach Brian Daboll was questioned about Banks’ effort after the game but had little to offer.

“We’ll take a look at all that stuff and whatever we need to address, we’ll address. But, the guys are putting effort into it each and every week. We’re just, unfortunately, not getting the results and it’s a results business,” he told reporters.

When it was suggested that Banks’ actions needed to be addressed at the moment on the sidelines.

“I’m not going to get into the sideline or coaching part of it. But, none of it was good enough today,” Daboll said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Losing has begun to seep into the psyche of this team. There may be very little Daboll can do at this point to turn things around. But that won’t prevent him from trying.

“No one was happy about the result,” said Daboll. “I think we have a strong group. You need to have a strong group in this league. There’s a lot of ups and downs. Unfortunately, we’ve had more downs. But, our guys will come back. We’ll regroup and we’ll do everything we possibly can do, like we do each week, to be at our best on Monday night.”

The Giants are now 2-5 on the season. If they lose to the Steelers next Monday night in Pittsburgh and drop to 2-6, it will be the seventh time in the past eight years that they will begin the season with two or fewer wins at the halfway mark.

Having players quit in plays certainly doesn’t help — not in results or in optics. Perhaps some discipline is in order.

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Giants assistant questions Deonte Banks’ effort vs. Cowboys: ‘He failed’

New York Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson calls out a lack of effort by CB Deonte Banks in Week 4: “He failed.”

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks had a less-than-stellar performance against the Dallas Cowboys last Thursday night.

Banks surrendered three receptions on three targets for 76 yards and one touchdown — a 55-yard catch-and-run courtesy of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who put Banks’ effort to shame.

“It was a bad finish by me,” Banks told reporters on Friday. “After I saw the film, I didn’t really feel it in the game. But I could have definitely finished more. I maybe could have even tackled him. But we’re passed it now.”

The lack of hustle drew the ire of long-time assistant coach Jerome Henderson, who interviewed to become Brian Daboll’s defensive coordinator during the offseason before the hiring of Shane Bowen.

The usually subdued Henderson was so frustrated by what he saw that he got loud with Banks.

“I’ve always been coachable. He don’t really do too much yelling, but I’ve been yelled at by a coach at a young age. So, I kind of learned that as a kid,” the second-year corner said.

Henderson didn’t coddle Banks publicly, either. He wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts with reporters before the team’s final practice of Week 5.

“Didn’t like it,” Henderson said, via the New York Post. “Liked nothing about it.

“When your man catches a ball, you have to break your legs — not literally, but figuratively — to get him on the ground. I thought there was room to do more. We expect it from him and he expects it from himself, but in that moment he failed.”

Rookie safety Tyler Nubin also took a bad angle to the ball carrier and the play ended up going for 33 yards over expected, per NextGen Stats. It was seven points that shouldn’t have been on the board.

The Giants lost, 20-15.

“I expect more from myself. So, it is what it is. It’s coaching,” Banks said.

Things get no easier for Banks this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks when he’s slated to go up against the much more physical DK Metcalf. Any lack of effort will be exposed, so expect Banks to come in motivated to right his wrong.

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Giants promote Mike Kafka to assistant head coach, announce staff changes

The New York Giants have promoted three assistants, including Mike Kafka to assistant head coach, and announced other staff additions.

The New York Giants have promoted offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to assistant head coach, secondary coach Jerome Henderson to defensive passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney to offensive passing game coordinator.

All three will continue in their previous roles while taking on the additional responsibilities.

In addition, Charlie Bullen was hired as the new outside linebackers coach, and Zak Kuhr was added as a defensive assistant.

The moves should complete the Giants’ coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Earlier this week, the Giants hired Shane Bowen as their new defensive coordinator, replacing Wink Martindale, and Mike Kelly to assume the open tight ends role after Andy Bischoff left to join Joe Harbaugh’s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Both Bowen and Kelly came from Tennessee, where they served under the now-former head coach Mike Vrabel.

Kuhr also comes from Tennessee — first as a quality control coach in 2020 and then worked with the Titans’ defense under Bowen, becoming their inside linebackers assistant in 2021.

Bullen was most recently with the Arizona Cardinals (2020-22) as their outside linebackers coach. Before that he was with the Miami Dolphins from 2012-2018, working with the linebackers and defensive line. He will assume the roles held by Drew Wilkins, who was let go last month.

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Giants’ options for defensive coordinator beginning to dwindle

The New York Giants have been thorough in their search for a new defensive coordinator but their options are beginning to dwindle.

After an ugly falling out between head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the New York Giants were thrust into the hunt for a new DC.

Their search has been thorough but thus far, has yielded no fruit.

Earlier this week, general manager Joe Schoen said he’d like to have a DC in place over the coming days but that clock is ticking.

Nearly a month after the Giants and Martindale “parted ways,’ the Giants are still without a defensive coordinator and following a recent spate of hirings, their options are beginning to dwindle.

Giants will interview Jerome Henderson for vacant DC position

The New York Giants will interview defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

The New York Giants are casting a wide net in search of a defensive coordinator but they aren’t neglecting candidates that are already under their employ.

Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson will reportedly get a formal interview for the position.

This season, Henderson was in charge of a young secondary that included rookies Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III, as well as second-year players Cor’dale Flott and Dane Belton.

Henderson, 54, has 17 years of NFL coaching experience, the last four with the Giants. Before landing with the Giants, Henderson coached for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets.

From 2006-2007, Henderson, who is widely respected by his players and around the league, served as the Jets’ director of player personnel.

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11 defensive coordinator candidates Giants could consider

The New York Giants are on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator and these are 11 potential candidates they could consider.

Wink Martindale resigned as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator on Monday after just two seasons with the team. It was a rather unceremonious end that was handled poorly by both sides.

The departure of Martindale now thrusts the Giants into a defensive coordinator search for the second time in three years.

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are expected to get to work immediately but before they do, here’s a look at 11 potential candidates.

Note: Some of these candidates may currently be employed with other teams and would require termination (or resignation) before joining the Giants.

Giants vs. Patriots: 5 things to know about Week 12

The New York Giants and New England Patriots square off on Sunday afternoon in Week 12, so here are five things fans should know.

The New York Giants (3-8) play host to the New England Patriots (2-8) this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in a Week 12 matchup between two of the league’s most storied franchises.

Here are five things to know before kickoff on Sunday.