Tully Banta-Cain
Encyclopedia
Tully Banta-Cain is an American football
linebacker
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the New England Patriots
in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at California
.
Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl ring
s during his first stint with the Patriots. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
.
Rodney Rogers
and former MLB outfielder
Jeffrey Leonard
.
While attending Fremont High School
in Sunnyvale
, California
, Banta-Cain won All-League honors playing outside linebacker as a senior, was the League's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, and gained more than 1,000 yards as a running back
.
at the University of California
where he finished his career with 112 tackles and 26.5 sacks. He redshirted in 1998, and then appeared in five games as a freshman in 1999. As a sophomore, Banta-Cain recorded 35 tackles and 5.5 sacks, and as a junior in 2001, he started every game at defensive end and tallied eight sacks and 33 tackles. As a senior in 2002, Banta-Cain was named to the All-Pac-10 first team and was the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player, finishing with 39 tackles, 13 sacks, and 22 tackles for a loss. His 26.5 career sacks ranked third in the school's record books behind Regan Upshaw
and Andre Carter
.
in the seventh round (239th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft
. In his rookie season he played in nine games recording 11 tackles and one sack against the Buffalo Bills
on December 27. In 2004
, he played in all 16 games and finished the season with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and his first career interception again against the Buffalo Bills
on November 14. He also was part of the Super Bowl XXXVIII
winning team. The following season he only managed to record nine tackles and 0.5 sacks but again was part of the team which won Super Bowl XXXIX
. In his final year with the Patriots, he played in all 16 games including five starts and finished the season with 43 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks.
as an unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2007. In his debut season, he started in ten games and recorded 41 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In his second season with the 49ers, Banta-Cain did not start a game and finished the season with a half sack. He was released on February 10, 2009.
on February 18, 2009. Banta-Cain was released on October 19 and reportedly re-signed the next day to a new contract through the 2011 season. However, the signing was not official as of the end of the regular season. He started 10 of the 16 games he played in 2009
, recording 55 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks.
Banta-Cain was officially re-signed to a three-year contract on March 5, 2010, the first day of free agency. The deal included a $6 million signing bonus, and averages $4.5 million per year. However, that yearly average can be raised to as high as $6 million if all performance incentives are met, raising the maximum value of the 3-year deal to $19 million.
In Week 2 of the 2010
season, Banta-Cain started against the New York Jets
, recording eight tackles and one sack in the Patriots loss. In the second quarter, Banta-Cain was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness, and was pulled from the game in favor of rookie Jermaine Cunningham
, who replaced Banta-Cain as a starter in the Patriots' base defense for the next game. Banta-Cain went on to make 6 starts in 15 games played, recording 45 tackles and five sacks.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
.
Banta-Cain earned two Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
s during his first stint with the Patriots. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Early years
Tully Banta-Cain is multiracial of African-American and Scottish/Irish descent. He is the cousin of former NBA forwardPower forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
Rodney Rogers
Rodney Rogers
Rodney Ray Rogers is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-Early life:...
and former MLB outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey N. Leonard is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from to...
.
While attending Fremont High School
Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, California)
Fremont High School is a comprehensive, co-educational, public secondary school in Sunnyvale, California, United States. Fremont is currently the only open public high school located in the city of Sunnyvale and is part of the Fremont Union High School District .-History:Fremont was originally...
in Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Banta-Cain won All-League honors playing outside linebacker as a senior, was the League's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, and gained more than 1,000 yards as a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
.
College career
Banta-Cain played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
where he finished his career with 112 tackles and 26.5 sacks. He redshirted in 1998, and then appeared in five games as a freshman in 1999. As a sophomore, Banta-Cain recorded 35 tackles and 5.5 sacks, and as a junior in 2001, he started every game at defensive end and tallied eight sacks and 33 tackles. As a senior in 2002, Banta-Cain was named to the All-Pac-10 first team and was the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player, finishing with 39 tackles, 13 sacks, and 22 tackles for a loss. His 26.5 career sacks ranked third in the school's record books behind Regan Upshaw
Regan Upshaw
Regan Charles Upshaw is a retired American football lineman who played in the National Football League between 1996 and 2004...
and Andre Carter
Andre Carter
Rubin Andre Carter is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
.
New England Patriots 2003-2006
Banta-Cain was drafted by the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the seventh round (239th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. In his rookie season he played in nine games recording 11 tackles and one sack against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 27. In 2004
2004 New England Patriots season
The 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
, he played in all 16 games and finished the season with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and his first career interception again against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on November 14. He also was part of the Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
winning team. The following season he only managed to record nine tackles and 0.5 sacks but again was part of the team which won Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
. In his final year with the Patriots, he played in all 16 games including five starts and finished the season with 43 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks.
San Francisco 49ers 2007-2008
Banta-Cain was signed by the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
as an unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2007. In his debut season, he started in ten games and recorded 41 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In his second season with the 49ers, Banta-Cain did not start a game and finished the season with a half sack. He was released on February 10, 2009.
New England Patriots 2009-2010
Just eight days after his release from the 49ers, Banta-Cain was re-signed by the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
on February 18, 2009. Banta-Cain was released on October 19 and reportedly re-signed the next day to a new contract through the 2011 season. However, the signing was not official as of the end of the regular season. He started 10 of the 16 games he played in 2009
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....
, recording 55 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks.
Banta-Cain was officially re-signed to a three-year contract on March 5, 2010, the first day of free agency. The deal included a $6 million signing bonus, and averages $4.5 million per year. However, that yearly average can be raised to as high as $6 million if all performance incentives are met, raising the maximum value of the 3-year deal to $19 million.
In Week 2 of the 2010
2010 New England Patriots season
The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets...
season, Banta-Cain started against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, recording eight tackles and one sack in the Patriots loss. In the second quarter, Banta-Cain was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness, and was pulled from the game in favor of rookie Jermaine Cunningham
Jermaine Cunningham
-New England Patriots:Cunningham was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on July 24, 2010. Cunningham made his first career start in the third game of his rookie season, surpassing former starter Tully Banta-Cain, and...
, who replaced Banta-Cain as a starter in the Patriots' base defense for the next game. Banta-Cain went on to make 6 starts in 15 games played, recording 45 tackles and five sacks.