Adam Jacobs asks: Like all Giants fans, I am very excited about the coming season. I have a question about Banks. Everyone knows about his struggles the past two seasons, as well as the encouraging signs since the start of training camp. Is his (perceived) improvement more about a change back to a press, man-to-man defense, a change in the coaching staff, or something else? I am more than happy if they could get good production out of him beyond returning kickoffs. Do you think this is just trying to impress the coaches, or is this a turning the corner thing?<\/p>\n
Ed says: Adam, I don\u2019t know what you are getting by asking if \u201cthis is just trying to impress the coaches.\u201d Every player who isn\u2019t an established star is always hoping to impress his coaches.<\/p>\n
In reference to Deonte Banks, the change in both his play and his demeanor have been real. Banks has been playing like the guy the Giants hoped he would be when they used a first-round pick on him in 2023.<\/p>\n
The change in coaching staffs and schemes has a lot to do with it. Maybe there were things going on in the young man\u2019s life that affected him. We don\u2019t know. Banks doesn\u2019t like to talk to the media. When he does talk, his answers are very short. He isn\u2019t going to tell us much.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if he will be a starter, but Banks looks like a player who can certainly contribute at cornerback.<\/p>\n
Joseph Evans asks: I know it\u2019s most likely in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but why is it you can only dress 45 on game day? With the amount of injuries, that doesn\u2019t make sense to me.<\/p>\n
Ed says: Joseph, teams can dress 46. If they elevate two players from the practice squad, that number rises to 48. But, your question, of course, regards why there is any type of limit.<\/p>\n
It really has to do with competitive balance. Say one team has five injured players who cannot dress for a game. The opposing team has only two. The NFL wants each team to dress the same number of players in each game, theoretically so that one team is not at a numerical disadvantage.<\/p>\n
For me, there is a better way to accomplish this. Let teams dress 53 players for each game. If you have three players who are injured and cannot dress on your 53-man roster, teams should be allowed to activate three players from the practice squad \u2014 without needing to pass players through waivers to get them back on the practice squad.<\/p>\n
To me, full rosters would improve the quality of play.<\/p>\n