He could not decide which one he liked better.
“They both were good plays,” Deonte Banks told The Post. “I can’t really tell you my favorite.”
How about that?
That this specific question was posed to Banks and that there were two impressive plays to examine from the Giants’ 26-3 preseason victory over the Dolphins was a quantum leap in the right direction for a player who too often the past two seasons had to hear about all the plays he failed to make.
To salvage what has been a Giants career on life support, Banks this summer was going to have to string together a series of positive plays, one after another, the good far exceeding the bad.
This was his challenge, and he is meeting it.
The new coaching staff would be watching.
And Banks, given the “bust” aura he unwantedly but deservingly was operating under, had to be considered a longshot to turn things around.
He has.
The question right now is not if Banks will make the team — he will.
Now it is a matter of how big of a factor he will be in the defensive backfield.
“Everybody wants to start, for sure,” Banks said. “You know that.”
Can he see a pathway to make that happen?
“Yes, for sure,” he said.
That would be something, for sure.
But Banks is not there, yet.
The two starting cornerbacks at Hard Rock Stadium were Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II, as head coach John Harbaugh wanted to get them playing time after both sat out the preseason-opening loss to the Vikings.
Banks did not have to wait long.
He was on the field alongside Adebo for the third series on defense.
On the first play of the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Cam Miller on third-and-6 looked for Kevin Coleman Jr. over the middle.
This is the sort of play Banks the past two seasons regularly gave up, often strong in coverage but not making the play.
This time, he was on Coleman like a glove and made the necessary contact to make sure Coleman did not haul in a pass that was on target.
“I would say he was like glue out there,” Harbaugh told The Post afterward.
Later in the second quarter, Banks slammed running back Ollie Gordon II to the grass for a pickup of only 1 yard.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Banks has ideal size and strength to be a factor as a run defender.
It is all about technique for Banks, and also concentration.
He too often lacked both after an uneven but promising 2023 rookie year for the 24th overall pick in the draft that year.
He was more aggressive playing for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale but regressed under Shane Bowen.
He seems reenergized with his new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
“This is fun,” Banks said. “I’m having a great time with it. I wouldn’t say I’m more confident because I feel I’m always a confident dude. I guess you can see it in my play more.”
The new coaching staff “gave me a reset,’’ he said, and “let me be me.’’
Asked what that means, Banks said, “Let me go out there and play my game. Let me go out there and do what I do best.” This means increased usage as an aggressive press corner in man coverage.
If Banks is a dependable option, a position that lacks a true No. 1 cornerback at least has some depth.
Adebo had a disappointing first year with the Giants after signing a three-year, $54 million contract that the Giants can get out of after this season without too much salary cap harm, if need be.
Newsome, a 2021 first-round pick of the Bears, is on a one-year, $8 million prove-it deal.
Rookie Colton Hood was taken with the 37th overall pick but he has missed time dealing with a quad injury.
Banks is in the final year of his rookie deal.
It is a position of uncertainty, to be sure.
There are also Art Green and Korie Black as perimeter corner possibilities.
“It seems like we’re deep at corner,” Harbaugh said Sunday. “Certainly planning on that panning out throughout the course of the season.”
Banks is playing for now and for his future, with the Giants or elsewhere.
He went through lapses of effort and the fans soured on him.
This new coaching regime gave Banks a shot and he is making it count.
“You always go through something,” he said.
He believes he is a better player now than at any other point in his Giants tenure. He says, “I feel great’’ and predicts that the entire defense “can be really great.”
It’s all trending up for Deonte Banks, with the real season yet to begin.
