Geoff Robins/CFL.ca
He’s back and ready to attack unfinished business. Brandon Banks stays a Tiger-Cat after signing a two-year deal to remain one of Hamilton’s favourite Ticats of the last decade.
For a small man, Banks sure has a way of putting fear into defenders, a requirement in now Offensive Coordinator June Jones’ offence.
It’s pretty amazing when you really think about it. A diminutive return specialist turned All-Star receiver who plays a sport built in physical confrontation having defenders on their heels before each snap, especially when you consider how we used to perceive him.
Banks was type cast since joining the Tiger-Cats. Like Vince Vaughn as the smart-talking, best friend of a more straight-laced co-star in a romantic comedy, Banks was assigned the role of special teams ace with a wide array of offensive packaged plays including anything from a jet sweep to a fly route and back to a jet sweep.
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Banks will remain in the black and gold for two more seasons after signing a new deal on Monday (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
He was limited, or so we thought.
Then June Jones arrived. A man with great success turning smaller, quicker receivers into league leaders a moment Banks will never forget.
“I don’t know what winning the lottery is like but I feel like I won it,” said Banks. “I’m so thankful he walked through those doors and gave me a chance. I’ll always be thankful for that.”
Once given the chance in 2017 to take full time reps as a receiver, Banks flourished but the second half of 2017 pales in comparison to the consistency and rhythm he found in 2018 with Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.
Banks gave June Jones the vertical threat he needed while also excelling in the screen game and – to many peoples surprise including yours truly – Banks showed an elite understanding of how to find the soft spot in between defenders in zone coverage while using top end technical route running to break free from man coverage.
He evolved, he improved, and as his reward, Banks has been handed a handsome raise and the role of No. 1 receiver for the first time in his pro football life.
That pay raise is an interesting dynamic. How much is an aging receiver just finding his route running legs truly worth? In the Tiger-Cats opinion, whatever it took to keep him and the momentum they created in 2018 moving forward which explains why Banks didn’t wait to test the open market.
“I’m comfortable with the situation, I’m happy with the numbers I got so no point in waiting just wanted to sign the deal and prepare myself for a big season,” Banks said on Monday on TSN1150 Hamilton. “I’m not money hungry or money driven, you do have to know your worth at my age and I’m probably worth more but I love the staff and know they believe in me. We’re one or two plays away from a championship caliber team.”
At 31-years-old, Banks could have tried to maximize his new-found stardom as a pass-catcher into a more lucrative deal from another team in dire need of explosive play-making in the pass game. I get the sense both Banks and the Tiger-Cats understood the mutually beneficial relationship they have cultivated in the last two seasons resulting in a deal being signed before the calendar turned to February.
A similar story to that of Jalen Saunders who – while rehabbing a torn ACL sustained mid-2018 – signed with Hamilton in December. With Masoli and Tasker under contract for 2019 already, the Ticats have three 1,000-yard receiving threats back to attack 2019.
All three receivers rated with the highest production grade of any player on the Tiger-Cats 2018 offence who had an above average workload.
Banks confirmed his health on Monday stating clearly, “I’m 100 per cent cleared as of January 20th.”
That is music to any Tiger-Cats fans ear, especially considering the emotional deflating loss of Banks to a season-ending collarbone break in Ottawa. As he crashed into the REDBLACKS bench on his shoulder so too did the Ticats chances of a Grey Cup come smashing down into pieces. Now the Ticats return with a renewed sense of energy and direction under first time Head Coach Orlondo Steinauer who has a long relationship with Banks from his days in Hamilton as an assistant.
“Coach O is one of the greatest guys I ever talked the game with,” said Banks. “He’s a great philosopher on how to get guys ready and motivated. I’m excited to work under his wing and hopefully win a championship. When we have all the pieces of the puzzle together we’re special.”
One of the Tiger-Cats biggest pieces of the puzzle is in place now and Hamilton fans can return to plotting a 2019 Grey Cup run in place of the usual late-January grocery store conversations wondering about if and when their favourite player would return to the black and gold.
He’s back. He’s healthy. He’s ready to work.
