Deonte Banks’ resurgence at cornerback has been a major story for the New York Giants so far this season. Banks looked like a lost cause at the end of last season, his second straight terrible year after a promising 2023 rookie season.
Head coach John Harbaugh and his staff, including defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, offered no judgment of the past. They simply started over, and Banks has responded.
‘I believe in the kid’
Banks is a Baltimore kid, so Harbaugh and much of his coaching staff have known about him for a long
time. Wilson said part of his job was to reach Banks and make him believe that the staff believed in him.
“It goes back from when I took the job. And it goes back to me knowing the kid. Like, I believe in the kid. And I’ve always believed in the kid,” Wilson said on Thursday. “And this goes with teaching and coaching. You can’t ask for the hand until you touch the heart. And that was the objective, to touch the heart, to understand that he has people that care about him, that won’t throw him away. If he has a bad moment, if he has a good moment, we’re going to stay consistent. We’re going to have tough love with him. And that’s what he needed.
“We do too much of throwing guys away when they’re not having success right now. Sometimes it takes them time to fight through it. Sometimes they need that teacher, that motivator, that person that inspires them to go out and be the best version of themselves. And that was the thing that we wanted to do with him. And that’s all the players. It’s every guy that we have, man, we treat them with love and respect, but we have tough love. And we coach them hard.”
Wilson said it is about more than telling them what to do.
“We preach discipline and detail,” Wilson said. “But it’s not about just telling them what to do from an X’s and O’s standpoint. It’s also getting to know them as a person, to know how they operate, to know how they tick, to be able to push them without telling them all the time. So, that’s the impact. That’s what this coaching staff has done with the players. We’ve fused positivity. We’ve learned our players on and off the field. We support our players on and off the field. And we show love when love is needed.”
Here are more takeaways from Wilson’s media availability.
Handling ‘unscouted runs’
Wilson said Arizona sprung some “unscouted runs” on the Giants in their first two drives on Sunday as they went up 14-3, rushing nine times for 81 yards. After that, the Giants held the Cardinals to 42 yards on 17 carries.
“They came out with some unscouted runs that we didn’t see or predict that they were going to do. So, they hurt us on a few of them,” Wilson said. “A couple of plays was leveraging, getting down closer to the line of scrimmage, boxing a ball back, and then we made some adjustments on the sideline to kind of surround their formations after that second series, and guys came out there and executed. We stopped the run, forced them to pass, and we were able to get after them when they were passing.”
Defending Kayvon
Kayvon Thibodeaux has been quiet this season, with just five tackles, one quarterback hit, and no sacks or tackles for loss so far this season. Wilson still seems excited about what Thibodeaux can do as a pass rusher.
“Kayvon has done an excellent job pass rushing. More so when he’s on the edge, he’s forcing the ball back, he’s using his long arm. He’s been around the quarterback, but at times we have to convert a little bit better, and he will. It’s coming. It’s coming for him.,” Wilson said. “His speed is still there. I love his power. I think early on we had him playing inside a little bit too much. I think he’s just better off the edge right now. I can’t wait to see him go out there and perform this week. The numbers are still – they’re going to come, just like I said last week. He’s ready to turn it on. He’s excited about the pass rush plan this week, and I can’t wait to see him go out there and execute.”
Greg Newsome’s impact
The Giants signed the former first-round pick to a one-year “prove it” contract in free agency. Newsome has played well.
“He’s been a great impact. I love him. Man, I believe so wholeheartedly in him and his ability,” Wilson said. “He has cultivated the room with his energy, with his effort, his attention to detail, his willingness to learn, his willingness to go the extra mile to bring guys in with – him and (safety) Jevón (Holland) bring the DBs in the group, watch extra film together. They spend a lot of time together. If you see them, like I say, their energy is infectious. I mean, they dance and do all their little corny moves every day. The DBs were able to pick the music this week and, man, it’s terrible (laughs). But they love it. They love it.
“So, as long as they love it and they are in a good place, I’m happy. But we’re happy to have him. He’s been an outstanding addition to this defense and to this organization.”
