Kerry Collins Leads by Example

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young is injured inside and out. And he’s on the verge of losing his job and the respect of his teammates. But he really only needs to look as far as teammate Kerry Collins for advice on not only how to handle the very situation he is currently going through, but also how to beat it. According to Kerry, who is now the Titans’ starting quarterback:

“I felt the pressure and I was trying to be something and someone I wasn’t. Being a first-round pick, being the quarterback, I felt I needed to be the whole deal. I did not understand the maturity it took. When you have early success, you are not thinking 10 years down the road, but now. When trouble comes, you can be shocked by it because of that early success. When you play early, there is no time to ease into it. Sometimes, a certain amount of perspective is needed about the whole thing. It can all get so involved that the mental aspects of it will play with you and play with your mind.”

That sounds like something Vince Young might say today. I’ve followed Kerry’s career from Penn State until now. And I remember when he was accused of being a quitter, a bum and a bad guy when he first entered the league with the Carolina Panthers. I had a hard time believing the behavior I was seeing from Kerry. I spoke with him about it on a national conference call back in 2000 when he was with the N.Y. Giants and he said once he finally was able to understand his situation and mature as a person, everything came together in his life and his professional football career. Fourteen seasons later he’s considered a stand-up guy, a true professional and still a heck of a football player. Vince Young would be wise to take notice.

Source: NFL.com, Photo: Newscom