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.
