Brian Banks featured on Rich Eisen Podcast

Your opinions on just how insightful Rich Eisen can be may vary, but one thing that cannot be denied about the man is the large audience he can reach with his words.

And that's why hearing Falcons linebacker Brian Banks on today's edition of Eisen's podcast is so pleasing to the ears.

On the podcast, Banks delves into just about every major aspect of his amazing journey from top high school prospect to jail and ultimately freedom and a shot at making the Falcons roster this August, almost all of which is transcribed for you here by the AJC.

Just about the entire thing is a fascinating read, especially if you have yet to fully intimate yourself with the nitty gritty details of Banks' situation and how far he has come in the last year alone.

And as far as the football side of Banks' progress is concerned, he touches on how he's handled learning the Falcons playbook and how he's adjusting to the NFL. He is a rookie, after all. Says Banks:

"In the film room, I’m watching film and we’re calling plays and I’m seeing things happen and I’m able to talk about what’s happening, and it’s the difference between being in the film room and then going out on the field and doing the same thing on the fly. It’s not a problem; it’s something that I just need to perfect. That’s where I am right now. It’s not the physical side of the sport; physically I’m in great shape and I’m where I need to be physically. It’s more of being able to command an NFL defense and do it with confidence, and it’s not something that is in far reach. I’m very close and I’m very close with the playbook; the understanding is there, the knowledge is there. It’s just perfecting it; it’s getting it down to a science to where it’s just second-nature, and I think that’s anybody’s biggest challenge with any playbook. I don’t think anybody can come into an organization and figure the playbook out in a month."

If Banks is doing as well as he says he is - and there have been a couple of reports that essentially assert the same thing - then he should have a decent chance at making the Falcons practice squad, at the very least. We all know how thin Atlanta's corps of linebackers has been as of late.

Still, the acclimation period required of a guy who has played zero downs of college ball and spent nearly a decade out of football has to be pretty staggering, I'd imagine. Banks has a real make-or-break period ahead of him when training camp finally gets rolling.