Austin FAILED to recognize Bank’s full potential in 4 SEASONS.
Jones DID recognize Bank’s full potential after only a COUPLE OF MONTHS.
There were no fans clamouring for Banks because a fanbase cannot assess a players potential when that player is mostly standing on the sidelines during a game. We all drank the Austin Kool-Aid and were led to believe that Speedy B’s only calling was as a return man.
A competent coach and talent evaluator would have recognized Bank’s abilities after almost half a decade of training camps, practices and reps.
Sorry Krisiun, back then Banks couldn’t catch a cold; never mind a football. His route-running was also very suspect. Those are kind of important things for a receiver.
Actually, as I recall, Banks worked on his receiver skills on his own in the off season. Theses skills were there at the time that Jones took over. Jones just took advantage of them and Austin did not.
Banks has speed and agility both of those are great assets in a run and shot offence. Banks lagged behind other receivers in precision route running, a major part of the style of offense that Austin ran. It was more about offensive styles than anything else. Banks himself has said many times he hates running routes. He has improved in all aspects of his receiving game. Both from off season work and reps under Jones. Austin tried to utilize him, but he didn’t fit into Austin’s offense the same way he fit into the run and shoot.
The lengths people will go to avoid giving June Jones credit are crazy. Banks started producing at WR from game 1 under Jones. Give the guy some credit, he found a way to utilize the talent he had.
I don’t think anyone (including Jones’ biggest detractors) are not giving him credit for tapping into Banks talent.
There’s a big difference between giving June Jones credit and destroying Austin for not finding it/tapping it, etc.
Dork is absolutely right, Dunigan was on record saying Banks was too small and valuable at KR PR to be a full time wideout. Didn’t see any threads when we were hanging 40 every week on why we weren’t using Banks more… And even at 0-8 it was true he couldnt catch a cold.
100% credit to June Jones for believing in BB to become what he is now.
Dorks point and I agree is that it’s not like everyone in the world could see this and the tyrant Austin refused to do it. Condell was right there with him.
Austin:
The lone coach over the past 8 or so years of TiCat football to take his teams to Grey Cup Final.
Twice to big show and could have won it all if not for stupid kick return call following a great return by our one and only Speedy.
And could have gone all the way another year hadn’t it been for whatz his name’s ACL injury.
Yeah Austin was crap!
this isn’t the Austin legacy thread, but I’ll throw my two cents in. Austin brought a level of excitement to the team that had been absent for ages. He put together some solid teams but there were bizarre flaws - He ignored the O-Line and and the running game, defences pinned their ears back and we rarely had a pocket for the QB to operate from.
As for Banks - Does anyone really believe Austin missed or misread his abilities at receiver? Isn’t everyone surprised at his success given his size?
I still worry he’s too small and is at greater risk of injury. If he can finish his career without getting squished then I think he’s a contender for the HOF.
The Austin era was a great turn around for this franchise and its culture. He found more diamonds in the rough than any other GM the team has had.
He didn’t need speedy as a reciever, as he found great recievers.
Austin’s tough guy culture just wore thin and the team appeared to stop playing for him.
JJ just came at the right team; relaxed the culture and used players recruited by Austin to start winning again.
