When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Darrell Revis in the offseason, they were hoping his impact would be felt on and off the field. Easily one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, Revis is also expected to bring veteran leadership to a defensive group mixed with a lot of youth. Tampa Bay is in a division where they will face plenty of wide receiver talent and the Buccaneers are hoping Revis can get rookies like Jonthan Banks up to speed quickly.
Banks comes to Tampa Bay after being drafted in the second-round out of Mississippi State. Already expected to play a prominent role in Tampa's defensive plan, the rookie will be a starter if he can learn the system quickly. Banks is already a pretty savy cornerback coming out of the SEC, but he has stayed in contact with Revis in order to pick up more pointers.
"I talk to (Revis) all the time," Banks said to media after training camp. "If I see him talking to a coach, I'm going over there to listen. He's the best at what he does, so why not listen to the best?"
While Banks lacks top-level speed, his 6-foot-2 frame is welcomed by Tampa Bay. That kind of size and makeup will be key as Banks will be running up next to some of the best once the season begins. The NFC South hosts some of the best pass catches in the league with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Steve Smith and Marques Colston.
"Guys in the pros are bigger, faster and smarter," he said. "But I know the playbook, and my confidence level is very high right now."
Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano has been very impressed with what he has seen so far out of Banks. With Eric Wright officially dismissed from the team, the head coach is putting his confidence in Banks to step up and be a strong player. He likes the rookie's physical play, noting his upper body strength will help him out.
"I think his maturity is probably a little more advanced than a lot of guys his age. He is a guy that I really felt fit exactly into what we are looking for from a player and a person," Schiano said.
Banks is not putting any pressure on himself to step right in as starter, but knows the door is open for him to make a strong impact right away. Tampa Bay is entering into training camp with 10 cornerbacks on the roster, but Revis and Banks are the likely leaders of the position group.
