This is how Kerry Collins recalls his status, comfort level and situation from one year ago: “Just kind of messed up.”
This is how he described his standing with the Giants as of yesterday: “If anyone’s going to be a leader on the offense, it’s going to be me.”
With all the newcomers wearing uniforms and inhabiting lockers at Giants Stadium, it was easy to dwell on the changes around the Giants as they convened for the start of a three-day minicamp. They will definitely have seven new starters – four on the offensive line alone – and as many as nine new players in the starting lineup. With all the anticipation involved with so much upheaval, it can never be dismissed that the Giants will go nowhere unless Collins finds a home for himself at quarterback.
He started seven games last season, with very mixed results, but comes in this year owning the unquestioned role of top man on the totem pole. He admits he treaded lightly when he arrived, not wanting to upset the status quo that had Kent Graham as the starter, and unwilling to allow his personality to surface, for fear of turning off anyone who already had doubts about him as a player and especially as a person.
“Last year was just kind of messed up, because of the contract, and Kent was going to be the starter,” Collins said. “To come in now and have it where there’s no doubt certainly brings a lot of peace of mind to me. I can concentrate on becoming a leader. I really was intent on being myself last year but also showing everybody that I wasn’t the guy who everybody had heard about and what they read about. That was the reason why I wanted to have that period to let everybody feel me out. I feel that’s over. Those things are put behind me, everyone here has accepted me and I feel I don’t have to worry about those things.”
Now on solid footing professionally and personally, Collins sees no roadblocks as he attempts to re-shape a career that’s been somewhat mangled. Jim Fassel says, “Right now Kerry feels good about himself, where he is, how he’s developed, A guy has kind of a glow to him when he’s proud of the things he’s accomplished. He has that glow right now with all the things he’s accomplished in his personal life.”
Other than upgrade his performance, Collins is eager to rid the Giants of the very real perception that their offense is soft, weak-spirited and tentative. The offensive line, with Lomas Brown, Glenn Parker and Dusty Zeigler newly-signed and new starters, looks to be completely refurbished, as far as experience and especially temperament.
“I think the word that comes to mind is reserved,” Collins said of last year’s offense. “We were all kind of reserved, kind of afraid to make mistakes. I don’t ever want to be like that. I want to be attacking, I don’t want to worry about if I’m making mistakes, I want to go into a game and have us all be loose and confident and be willing to attack, and I didn’t get that feeling last year from our offense.
“I think we’ll be a different offense, I think we’ll have a different mentality.”