[djb]

Banks lands in Washington

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Having been through a 48-hour period that mirrored the roller coaster nature of his NFL career to this point, quarterback Tony Banks barely had time to catch his breath Thursday after signing a one-year, $477,000 contract with the Washington Redskins, and immersing himself in yet another offensive playbook.

"I'm getting accustomed to cramming," said Banks, 28, who was abruptly released by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday morning, and is now joining his fourth different team in just six seasons. "It's not the perfect way to do things, but this is how it is for now, and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

The Redskins spent the past several days seeking a veteran quarterback to address a lack of able-bodied passers in training camp. Starter Jeff George threw for the first time in nearly two weeks on Wednesday, but continues to recover from tendonitis in his right shoulder and probably will not play until the preseason finale.

Second-year pro Todd Husak has a strained oblique muscle in his side, but was able to participate in some drills the last two days. The only healthy quarterbacks were a pair of rookies, fourth-round draft pick Sage Rosenfels and undrafted free agent Mike Watkins.

Washington came close on Tuesday to signing free agent Danny Kanell, a five-year veteran who worked out that morning for Redskins coaches, then backed off when word was relayed than Banks had been cut.

One element in Banks' decision to sign with the Redskins was the quarterbacks coach Brian Scottehenheimer, the son of the head coach Marty Schottenheimer, was on the St. Louis staff in 1997. That was Banks' second season with the Rams and he became good friends with the younger Schottenheimer.

Marty Schottenheimer also received a strong recommendation on Banks from Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil, who worked with the quarterback in St. Louis.

"I feel like I know some people here and that it's a good situation for me," Banks said. "My initial reaction when the Cowboys cut me was to take some time and think about things for a while. But I decided, when this opportunity was there, to make the most of it. It's no fun sitting around at home."

Dating back to his Michigan State career, Banks has worked in at least seven different offensive systems, and that lack of continuity has, he acknowledged, been a detriment to his advancement.

In his previous five seasons, Banks, 28, appeared in 66 games and started 61 of them. A second-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the '96 draft, Banks has completed 1,004 of 1,857 passes for 12,047 yards, with 61 touchdown passes and 58 interceptions.

In addition to the Rams (1996-98), he also played for Baltimore (1999-2000) before signing with Dallas earlier this spring.

Source: Banks lands in Washington