NFC Notes: Bucs, Lions, Packers, Vikings

After the Buccaneers used a second-round pick on him in 2013, cornerback Johnthan Banks went on to make 30 starts and intercept seven passes during his first two seasons. Banks’ playing time and impact dwindled in Tampa Bay over the past year-plus, though, leading the team to trade him to the Lions on Nov. 1. The 27-year-old attributes his precipitous decline to the Buccaneers’ coaching staff. “What was holding me back in Tampa? Coaches. That’s what was holding me back. Coaches,” he told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com on Thursday.“I mean, I can play. If you go and look at this year’s preseason, nobody in that secondary made more plays than me.” Banks added that he’s “past Tampa. I’m glad to be out here, and I wish them well.”The Bucs are

While Banks hasn’t yet debuted with the Lions, their staff – including cornerbacks coach Tony Oden – expects him to contribute soon, writes Meinke. Oden was the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach in 2013, Banks’ three-INT rookie year. “I feel like he’s readjusted me all over again,” Banks said. “I’m a new corner again. Just changing me, getting me low, getting me into a better stance. I’ve had so many coaches, I’ve been changed so much, I feel like I was changed the wrong way. And, you know, I feel like I’m being coached right again.”

More from the NFC:

• Can Christine Michael halt the Packers‘ running back carousel? Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com presents both sides of the argument but rightly notes that it will take a few weeks before we have a concrete answer. With only a few days to ready himself for Sunday’s game against Washington, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see Michael do much this weekend. But, for what it’s worth, Seattle coach Pete Carroll spoke highly of C-Mike on Wednesday and made it clear that his work ethic was not an issue. “He’s been busting his tail the whole time he’s been here,” Carroll said. “Everything we’ve said about him has been true and real, and he made a great comeback with us. He was the only guy there for a while, and we’re really grateful to the play that he gave us. He’s a good kid.”
• As of this morning, Michael was still “en route” to the Packers, coach Mike McCarthy said (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel). He added that Michael still has to go through a physical.
• Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is “looking good in the weight room,” according to a team source who spoke with Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Peterson, who suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2, is now eligible to return from injured reserve, though he remains on the shelf. Minnesota’s Peterson-less rushing attack has been the NFL’s worst this year.
• The Buccaneers claimed Sealver Siliga off waivers from Seattle on Wednesday, but coach Dirk Koetter told reporters the team actually almost signed Siliga weeks ago (Twitter link via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com). Tampa Bay worked out Siliga on Oct. 12, but he signed with the Seahawks on Oct. 18.