Rams News

Rams switch the focus to Banks
08/21 10:30 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

By now, Tony Banks' offseason commitment is well-documented. No one can dispute that he has invested more time in his craft.
On the practice field in training camp, he was more defined in his decision-making. He had much better anticipation of what defenses were giving him.
He showed marked improvement in the throwing of routes. During team drills and 7-on-7 drills, Banks completed more than 80 percent of his throws.
``We see the progress in practice,'' quarterbacks coach Mike White said. ``Now, he's had some ups and downs. He's had some inconsistent days that bothered him. But by and large, it's been improvement in practice.''
Trouble is, Banks and the Rams have yet to see the fruits of their labor in preseason games. Banks has thrown only 18 passes, completing 10 for a mere 61 yards in two games. The Rams have yet to score a touchdown with him on the field.
``Simply said, we need to increase our pass (completion) percentage,'' White said. ``The quarterback position also has to be responsible to make some big plays. We've seen none of that yet.''
Which is why the Rams have thrown their original quarterback rotation plan out the window.
And why today's 7 p.m. home game with the Dallas Cowboys is important for Banks and the entire offense -- preseason or not.
``This is such a key year for him -- in his dependability, his reliability, and those intangibles that mark the quarterback position,'' White said. ``School's still out in those areas. The only way those can be evaluated is in a game.''
For a variety of reasons, Banks didn't get much of a chance in the first two preseason games. Against Denver, the Rams had the ball for only 9 minutes 43 seconds compared to the Broncos' 20:17 in the first half.
In Game 2 against San Diego, Banks played only a quarter, because the coaching staff wanted to give Steve Bono two quarters of work and also look at Will Furrer in the fourth quarter. Trouble is, Banks got in only eight plays in his one quarter of work.
The original plan called for Furrer to start tonight against the Cowboys at the Trans World Dome. Coach Dick Vermeil felt he owed it to Furrer to let him play a quarter with the first unit against another team's first unit.
But after the San Diego game, White said, ``We looked each other in the eye -- Dick and I -- and said, `My lord, we may be evaluating our second guy or our third guy, but we don't even know if our first guy's going anywhere.' ''
The staff now realizes its No. 1 goal is getting Banks in sync for the regular season. So not only is Banks starting tonight against the Cowboys, he will play into the third quarter. During the week leading up to the game, Banks got most of the attention, most of the work in practice. The Rams did more game-planning than usual for a preseason game as well.
``For us at the quarterback position, this has been more like a regular-season game,'' White said.
Banks left camp tired and frustrated. Not only has the first-string offense been unproductive, he had to adjust to a new play-caller in the San Diego game -- Vermeil. Vermeil also plans to call the plays tonight. Banks also had to digest new chunks of the offense, which were installed in each of the past two weeks.
``I know as camp broke, I sensed some frustration, which was natural after the rigors of a training camp,'' White said.
The frustration spilled over into Banks' practice performance. After one subpar afternoon session this week, Vermeil candidly summed up Banks' work as follows: ``It stunk.''
But Banks snapped out of it by Thursday with what Vermeil called a great practice, just in time for the Cowboys. It would behoove Banks to play well at home, because the fans are clearly restless.
``Tony, he's had constant pressure on him,'' White said. ``The problem is this guy's been thrust into the starting role to save the program ever since he came here. And that's never been fair, because most quarterbacks, until their third or fourth year, they're just watching and learning.''
So for the moment, the process of picking the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 quarterback is on the backburner.
As badly as he wanted to start against Dallas, Furrer understands.
``Coach Vermeil feels that Tony needs to get some consistent work with the first team, and just needs the reps,'' Furrer said. ``That's the way it goes. I'm fine with it. That's my role on this team, to be a backup player at some level. When I get my opportunity, I'll do the best that I can.''

Quarterbacks

> Quarterbacks in camp: 4
> Expected to make final roster: 3
> Safe and sound: Tony Banks, Steve Bono
> On the bubble: Will Furrer, Kurt Warner
The roster must be trimmed to 60 players by Tuesday, and to 53 players by Aug. 30.

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