Kelvin Banks Jr.'s quest to find the best barbecue spots in Texas began in the offseason prior to his senior year in Austin, where he was a Longhorn. But the Barbecue Tour stalled when the season began, and hasn't yet restarted.
"I think I did five or six videos, and the season started and I got kind of busy," he said. "[I] wanted to focus on playing games, [but] it was fun doing them all."
Playing has been the focus since entering the NFL, too, as the New Orleans Saints' first-round draft pick (No. 9 overall) in this year's draft. So, Banks Jr. hasn't had much time, if any, to make barbecue rounds in New Orleans, though he hopes to. "It all depends on the schedule, if in the offseason I'm still around," he said. "Probably OTA times, I can get some videos in."
What the Saints (0-3) need from him Sunday, when they play Buffalo (3-0) at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., is video that displays even more improvement as they chase their first win of the season and under first-year head coach Kellen Moore.
Banks became the starter at left tackle when he was drafted, after a standout Texas career in which he was an All-American who won the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award and Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the premier offensive lineman in college. Last year's starter at left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, flipped to right tackle (Fuaga's college position) to accommodate the arrival of Banks.
"It says they have a lot of confidence in me, just because of the position that it is," Banks said. "It's left tackle, your quarterback can't see in the back of his head so it's not like he can see every rep that's coming from that way. [It] shows how much they trust in me and how much they believe in my talents to go out there and protect [quarterback Spencer Rattler's] backside."
In large part Banks' development is owed to his father, Kelvin Sr.
Kelvin Sr. played guard and center at Aldine High in Houston, and played at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Tex. "He was all right as a player. He wasn't that good," Kelvin Jr. said, laughing. "Nah, he was a good tutor. He actually went out there and did the stuff that he [was] trying to teach me. He taught me that ability to have an aggressive mindset, but also understand that it has to be controlled on the field as well. He was a great tutor."
It helped that Kelvin Sr. worked out with the Dallas Cowboys — including Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen — when the Cowboys held training camp at Midwestern State from 1998-2001. Reportedly, former Cowboys guard Larry Allen recorded a 700-pound bench press and 900-pound squat and arguably was the strongest man in the NFL at the time. "I got to train under Larry Allen," Kelvin Sr. said. "I watched him lift all that weight."
And he told his son that if he was going to play the sport, the goal was to be the best at it. "We're going to perfect the craft," Kelvin Sr. said. "That's what I always told him — you have to perfect your craft in order to succeed and achieve the goals you want. I think it soaked in."
But not without a little pushback.
Kelvin Jr. played quarterback and some tight end in little league. His 6-foot-3 father played at 370 pounds in college; a look at his dad and an affinity for snack cakes told Kelvin Jr. that he'd grow out of playing quarterback.
"But in my mind, I was like, 'I'm not playing O-line,'" Kelvin Jr. said. "I really didn't take O-line seriously until going into my 9th grade year in high school."
"He bucked at it at first," Kelvin Sr. said. "We tried everything. He tried quarterback, he tried tight end, he tried defensive end. I was an offensive lineman, so he was kind of bucking the system just because of that. But he ended up loving the offensive tackle spot and we just went from there."
And if life didn't become a cabaret for the celebrated lineman, it at least became a barbecue. His appreciation for that cuisine was developed at home, on the grill of Kelvin Sr.
"He loves barbecue," said Kelvin Sr., who accompanied his on one Barbecue Tour stop. "When he was here at the house, I always cooked barbecue on the weekend and he loved it."
"This offseason we just had the summer, so I went home then," Kelvin Jr. said. "Even in college, any chance we had to go home on the weekend I would go home and chill with the family. I definitely like when he cooks his barbecue at the house."
If his father won't be transporting his culinary skills to New Orleans on weekends of home games, the next likely trip home for Kelvin Jr. for a homemade refuel would be during the bye week in November. The sausage, grilled chicken and ribs can wait until then. At present, there are victories — individual and team — to pursue.
"I feel like I'm on a good slope," Kelvin Jr. said. "I'm turning it up in a good direction. There's a lot of things you learn during your rookie season, a lot of things I've got to clean up. [I'm] just making sure I'm focused on each and every little detail in the game plan.
"It's going good so far but, like always, there's always stuff you can improve on."
