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Originally Posted by Raiders11
My column
Now that Steve McNair has been traded off to the Ravens for a miserable 4th round pick, not to mention degrading, it leaves room for a veteran presence needed within Tennessee. With supposed starting QB Billy Volek assuming the reins for really the first time in his career, he will be faced with much harder decisions than he usually has to confront. Volek will need guidance and some mentoring as he takes over. It is in this matter, rumors had been circulating about Kerry Collins venturing off to Tennessee and backing up Billy Volek, as MSN confirms. This of course could create a QB controversy, mainly one with Vince Young and Kerry Collins on whom would reserve the role as the primary backup. With Volek and Young as the first two on the depth chart, it would see as if the Titans were leaning towards the future as they did when they started McNair when he was acquired. By putting in Collins as a backup to Volek, it presents a different situation, but one deemed more appropriate. If indeed you were to trade off McNair and bring in another veteran presence, he should be the primary backup to the starter, as when the starter is incapable of playing, the mentor can take over and show him how it is done, and of course the other young QB in Young will observe it as well, giving the two young QB's great tutoring. The main concern with such a transaction is we know that Collins cared about money. He would have stayed in OAK had his contract not beared such high value, and it could have been re negotiated to a lower tender, but it never reached a low enough value for Al Davis to keep him on board. Would Tennesse really pay Kerry Collins the value he desires? Would Collins really assume the back up role after insisting on being a starter? The answer to both of these, is YES. Collins came to OAK as a back up to Rich Gannon, and didn't mind it because he was being paid well. His attitude about money did not change even after he assumed the starting role. He would come in and back up Volek for this very reason. If Volek doesn't succeed, Jeff Fisher will have no problem switching him out for the Veteran, as we observed last year. The Titans front office will shell out the money to pay for Collins if he would be a feasible option to replace Volek should something happen to him, as Vince Young is too incapable of assuming the role with his inexperience.
Tennessee might not be the only option for the aging Collins, as one other team comes to mind as not only an ideal fit, but one that could be extremely promising. The Cleveland Browns might show interest in Collins. In my expert opinion, i believe that Collins could be an extremely valuabe asset to the Browns. Charlie Frye, QB out of Akron, will assume a starter role for Cleveland in his 2nd year in the NFL. Behind him on the depth chart lies nobody. Previously, Trent Dilfer (acquired from Seattle the year before) held the starting job with Frye behind him. Crennel replaced Dilfer with Frye and and Frye looked very promising. Doing so left Dilfer expendable at the end of the season, in which he was involved with a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. This leaves nothing for the Browns to fall back on should Frye take injury. What better situation does this pose for Veteran Kerry Collins? Kerry Collins is more than capable to assume the role as a backup and a mentor to Charlie Frye. With the discipline of Crennel, the Browns could rise to be very special. Collins will be able to show Frye how to maximize having the services of a Dennis Northcutt, Joe Jervicius, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow Jr. going down the field for him. This could be extremely potent. Since Cleveland has no really high contract tenders besides newly acquired Pro Bowl Center LeCharles Bentley, the price that Collins would name would most likely be the price he gets.
Overall, wherever he lands should spark interest of analysts all over the country. Especially after seeing the OAK vs NYG game at the end of the 2005 season, teams will see that there may be something left in Collins, something that drove him to the playoffs many times and a Super Bowl appearance.
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06-11-2006, 03:24 AM
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