Fifty-five straight starts Kerry Collins has gone without going down for a single down.
Through 3 1/2seasons, two almost entire offensive-line reconstructions, with the apparent mobility of a china closet and the exposure of its contents, the Giants quarterback takes a licking and keeps on ticking, despite overwhelming odds he is on borrowed time.
Big, strong quarterbacks like Steve McNair, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb, Drew Bledsoe and Mark Brunell all have missed games since Collins took over from Kent Graham in the 10th game of the 1999 season. Only Brett Favre (173 games), Peyton Manning (80) and Rich Gannon (64) are on longer runs than the Giants’ iron man, who understands he is running on irony.
Because Collins operates in a phone booth with changing options doesn’t mean this quarterback believes he wears a cape. But without a broken bone or a superstitious one in his body, Collins doesn’t fear talking about his good fortune and whatever tangible reasons there might be for it.
“I don’t put my head in the sand and hope it doesn’t happen,” he said. “I take the opposite approach, acknowledge the possibility of getting hurt is very real, and say the odds are against me. I think that helps my chances. You understand what I’m saying?”
Uh, only about as much as we do why some quarterbacks are built like Adonis and still prove about as sturdy as a Bill Parcells commitment. Certainly it is good to be 6-5, 248 pounds, taller than those trying to separate your shoulders and thicker than Collins and Amani Toomer on third down. But McNair’s 229 pounds didn’t keep him from the bench with angry rib cartilage a year ago, like McNabb’s 6-2 frame didn’t save him a broken leg.
Knock on wood, or a thumb on a helmet during a follow-through, bells are ringing in the heads of quarterbacks every week, and no fast whistles can save them. So there has to be a better explanation than just size and good fortune.
“Kerry’s pretty nimble on his feet,” Jim Fassel said as jaws hit the ground in three states.
The Kerry Collins we know? Forced from the pocket, this one has about as much chance of getting out of bounds as avoiding the media during a Super Bowl week.
“No, he’s not fast, but there is a sense of being light on your feet,” Fassel said. “When he is hit, he’s not nailed to the ground, with a knee planted. Kind of like a boxer who can take punches. And he has a great knack for feeling the people around him while concentrating downfield.”
While Collins is doing that, GM Ernie Accorsi is concentrating on rabbits’ feet, four leaf clovers, and Jeremy Shockey falling to the 14th pick. If Collins is lost, the quarterback becomes Jesse Palmer, who has thrown four NFL passes.
“I don’t care who your backup is, nothing has an effect like losing its quarterback,” Accorsi said. “You have to be lucky.
“There is something to a quick release. Bernie Kosar was the most immobile quarterback I have ever been around but he knew how to get rid of the ball and protect himself. Most injuries occur from glancing blows at the wrong angles, how you fall. But Kerry has taken some tremendous hits.”
In Carolina, Collins had his jaw broken by Bill Romanowski and returned in four weeks. The worst Collins had it here was some mid-week back spasms last season, quickly taken care of with muscle relaxants.
“I’ve had good protection and can rid of the ball,” he said. “I’m not the quickest guy in the world, but I’m more agile than people give me credit for being.
“I’ve tried to change body angles so I don’t take big hits. I do a lot of work on my legs and that helps, too. But as the pocket collapses, anything can happen to your knees. And hitting your hand on a helmet, that’s almost inevitable.”
Thus, one reason the Giants are in a hurry to get back to the Super Bowl is that their big, strong, seemingly indestructible quarterback is on borrowed time.
Like all of them.
IT’S A SNAP
Kerry Collins has started 55 straight games for the Giants, taking almost every offensive snap in that time.
Here’s a look at where Collins ranks among current NFL quarterbacks:
Consecutive games started by QB (active)
Player (team) Games
Brett Favre (Packers) 173
Peyton Manning (Colts) 80
Rich Gannon (Raiders) 64
KERRY COLLINS (Giants) 55
Jeff Garcia (49ers) 53