Brian Banks on his "Surreal" first day at Seahawks minicamp

Brian Banks, former high school footballs star whose amazing story of redemption following his recent exoneration has included workouts with several NFL teams, including the Seahawks, returned to Seahawks headquarters Wednesday to take part in second day of the team's three-day minicamp.

Banks is not under contract, and will be back Thursday to continue his two-day tryout. And while he hopes to make the Seahawks 90-man roster and return for training camp, he won't let what happens to him on the football field make or break him.

"What I take from it all, the advice that I appreciate the most, is just enjoy the moment," Banks said. "If it’s for one day, if it’s for a whole season, if it’s for however long, just enjoy the moment. I’ve already won; I have my freedom. That’s what’s most important to me. Making this team would just be additional blessings to this freedom."

Banks wore number 43 and saw time at middle linebacker Wednesday, and while he was trying to knock off a considerable amount of rust--a season of junior college football in 2007 was his only football in the last decade--he made an impression on Seattle's coaches.

"He’s a little behind, he might be a little rusty, but does he look like a ballplayer? Yes. Does he move well? Yes. Is there a chance? Absolutely," said linebacker coach Ken Norton Jr. "Obviously there’s a little rust out there, but the idea is, can he line up, can he chase the ball? It’s about making a first impression, and I like the first impression he left."

Norton liked what he saw, but was also honest about the uphill battle Banks is facing to make an NFL roster at the age of 26 with no college experience aside from that one season at Long Beach City College.

"This is the NFL, the best of the best, so it’s going to be really tough for him," Norton said. "Just the fact that he came out, gave it a shot and didn’t shy away from it, you’ve got to give him a plus for that, but this is the best of the best, the highest-level of athlete and he’s been out of it for 10 years, so it’s going to be really, really tough."

And Norton won't be evaluating Banks any differently than he does the other 12 linebackers at this minicamp.

"I don’t adjust," he said. "I have 13 kids in my group and they’ve been here every single day, and he has to be evaluated just like they are."

Asked how the day compared to his expectations, Banks said, "It was more overwhelming than I thought. I had high hopes and dreams of being out here today, then just to be out here, to have this helmet on, to have my name on the back of this jersey, to be a part of this team for a day is more than I could ever imagine."

Banks said no single moment about Wednesday stood out to him, but rather the whole experience of the day.

"It’s kind of just the whole process itself, from getting on the shuttle at the hotel, getting here early in the morning, team meetings, being out here on the field, going through warm-ups, going through plays, and then just watching other players do what they’ve been doing for so long and learning from them," he said. "It’s surreal, it’s surreal to be out here."