Banta-Cain Drawing Interest From Seven Teams
Aaron Wilson, Scout.com
Former New England Patriots outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain remains
on schedule in his recovery from abdominal surgery and has drawn
interest from seven NFL teams, according to a league source with
knowledge of the situation.
The teams are waiting for Banta-Cain to get back to full health
following a procedure that doctors expected him to take four to five
weeks to recover from.
"It won't keep him down or force him to miss the season or anything
like that," the source said in a telephone interview. "The surgery was
successful and everything should be fine."
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| Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
(18) escapes pressure by New England Patriots linebacker Tully
Banta-Cain (95) during the first half at Gillette Stadium 11/21/2010 (
Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE) |
Banta-Cain, 30, recorded 45 tackles, five sacks and one fumble recovery
last season.
For his career, the ninth-year pro from Cal-Berkeley has 250 tackles,
27 1/2 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles.
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Patriots Insider Take: Jon Scott @JScottNFL
At first glance, letting Banta-Cain (TBC) go may not have been a wise
decision given the issues the Patriots have had at the outside
linebacker position in recent years. His 14.5 sacks
in 2009-10 led the team over that period, though his production trailed
off last year while he battled injuries. TBC’s contributions gave a
unit with a woeful pass rush some bite.
The concern over TBC’s recovery period was an understandable reason for
the team to let him go early. After all, he needed at least 4-6 weeks
to rehab the injury after surgery, and like all surgeries, there was no
guarantee he would return 100%. Should Banta-Cain prove to be
healthy soon, he’ll undoubtedly be in demand as noted by colleague
Aaron Wilson’s report. The NFL needs pass rushers, and for
New England that will come from Mark Anderson, Andre Carter, Jermaine Cunningham and Rob Ninkovich for now.
With final roster cuts out of the way, New England’s defensive front
seven has come into clearer focus. Shaun Ellis, Vince Wilfork, Albert Haynesworth and Carter should be the starting lineup
with Ninkovich and Jerod Mayo as the outside backers.
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