SkinsFreak wrote:Red_One43 wrote:Rich Campbell:
We know Robinson has great straight-line speed, and if he can’t run past Bellamy, he won’t make the team. But he has to be sharper both mentally and physically. At this point, there’s nothing Robinson does that WR Brandon Banks or WR Terrence Austin don’t
According to Campbell's observations - it's a dead heat between Banks, Austin, and Robinson after two practices. But - I have to say BB, because right now, he is the better return man.
But let's not forget that the first 2 days have been without pads and with no hitting and little checking at the line-of-scrimmage. Once they put the pads and start hitting, it may be a different story.
For the record and clarification, I don't dislike Banks. In fact, he's been one of the few bright spots on this team for the past 2 years. I happen to like him a great deal. My initial post in this thread was not meant to bash Banks, but to offer some thoughts regarding Robinson.
Red_One43 quoted Mike Shanahan: “That’s been our goal all along,” Shanahan said. “Banks has some very good receiver skills. He’s got very good hands, he’s tough, and the more consistent he can be in practice -- it’s been tough because he got hurt -- but we would like to get him more involved.”
Banks tore a ligament in his left knee in 2010 and required surgery. He didn’t miss a game, but struggled to regain his effectiveness. The knee continued to bother Banks off and on last preseason, and during much of the regular season. That kept Shanahan from using him as a receiver. Instead, he made the team as a returns specialist.
Ok, fair enough. But that only adds to my concerns. In Shanahan's own words, Banks lacks consistency and has struggled with his effectiveness because of injury and durability. I just have a difficult time seeing a 5'7, 150 lb wide receiver lining up on offense, even playing in the slot. At that size, durability is a huge concern, and if he's already struggled with injuries, then the coaches have a difficult decision to make. It's not like Banks has the size or strength to get out there and break one-arm tackles and could easily struggle with durability from hits playing in the slot against more physical corners, safeties and LB's. But I do like him, and it's fun to root for the underdog, so to speak.
For me, assuming all or most things are equal, if it's a head-to-head battle between Robinson and Banks for the last WR spot, I may lean towards Robinson. Banks has serious size issues, has had injury and durability issues, has had off-the-field issues and was undrafted. (Shanahan actually used a valuable draft pick on Robinson)
Again, assuming all or most things are equal, if it's a head-to-head battle between Robinson and Armstrong for the last WR spot, again I'm leaning towards Robinson. Armstrong is 29 entering just his 3 year, was a leftover from the Zorn/Ceratto era and had a major sophmore slump for whatever reason. He was also undrafted. (Now, not saying Banks and Armstrong going undrafted should be a deciding factor, but it can be relevant since Robinson was hand-selected by Shanahan.)
I'd also like to add that I'm not out there watching them compete in camp head-to-head. So I could be very wrong about Robinson as he
may need more development. Nevertheless... hey, may the best man win. That's all any of us care about, I'm sure. Shanahan likes serious competition and that's what we're gonna get for the next month.
