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Kerry Collins

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Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American football player who currently plays quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.

File:Kerry collins.jpg
Kerry Collins as a New York Giant

Playing career

Penn State and the NFL

Kerry Collins played collegiate football at Penn State University, where he earned numerous awards. He was selected as the Carolina Panthers' first pick (fifth overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft. He was the first player ever chosen by the Panthers, who entered the league that year. In his three seasons with the Panthers, he threw for 7,295 yards, 39 touchdowns and 49 interceptions. His completion percentage was 52.6% and his quarterback rating was 65.6. In his second season, he led the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game.

Battles with alcoholism

Before the 1997 season got underway, Collins' private battle with alcoholism started to make public headlines. Collins threw 21 interceptions during the 1997 season and the Panthers finished 7-9, just one season after advancing to the NFC Championship. Collins was placed on waivers by Carolina during the 1998 season and subsequently signed by the New Orleans Saints. On November 2, 1998 Collins was arrested for drunk driving in Charlotte, North Carolina. He finished the 1998 campaign in New Orleans and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent on February 19, 1999.

Racism

In a highly publicized incident, on the last night of Carolina Panthers training camp in 1997 Collins used the word nigger in reference to African-American teammate Muhsin Muhammad while in a drunken state. Supposebly, Collins also inadvertently slurred offensive lineman Noberto Davidds-Garrido, who is of hispanic descent. This resulted in Collins being punched in the eye by Davidds-Garrido. Collins has stated that in his intoxicated state he thought the use of the racial epithet would help him and his teammates bond. Collins claims he is not a racist, but was labeled a racist in the media and public opinion for the event.

Rehabilitation

Not long after signing with New York, Collins decided to seek treatment for his alcoholism. He entered a rehabilitation clinic in Topeka, Kansas. No sooner did Collins get his personal life back on track than his professional career followed. Collins started the 1999 season as the Giants' second-string quarterback, but soon claimed the starting job. In the 2000 season Collins led the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons in New York, Collins was released by the Giants in 2004. The team had already signed former league MVP Kurt Warner and traded for 2004's #1 draft pick, Eli Manning. The move was seen as a cost-cutting measure, since Collins was due to earn $7 million from the Giants in 2004. After his release, Collins signed a three-year, $16.82 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Collins began the 2004 season as the team's backup to Rich Gannon, but took over the starting role when Gannon suffered a neck injury in the third week of the regular season. Collins is the team's starting quarterback for the 2005 season, subsequent to Gannon's retirement.[1]

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season

    Passing   Rushing
Season Team League GP Comp Att Pct Yds TD INT Att Yds TD
1995 Carolina NFL 15 214 432 49.5 2717 14 19 42 74 3
1996 Carolina NFL 13 204 364 56.0 2454 14 9 32 38 0
1997 Carolina NFL 13 200 381 52.5 2124 11 21 26 65 1
1998 Carolina NFL 4 76 162 46.9 1011 8 5 7 40 0
1998 New Orleans NFL 7 94 191 49.2 1202 4 10 23 113 1
1999 NYG NFL 10 191 332 57.5 2316 8 11 19 36 2
2000 NYG NFL 16 311 529 58.8 3610 22 13 41 65 1
2001 NYG NFL 16 327 568 57.6 3764 19 16 39 73 0
2002 NYG NFL 16 335 545 61.5 4073 19 14 44 -3 0
2003 NYG NFL 13 284 500 56.8 3110 13 16 17 49 0
2004 Oakland NFL 14 289 513 56.3 3495 21 20 16 36 0
Regular season totals 137 2525 4517 55.9 29873 153 154 306 586 8

Playoffs

    Passing   Rushing
Season Team League GP Comp Att Pct Yds TD INT Att Yds TD
1996 Carolina NFL 2 31 59 52.5 315 3 3 7 4 0
2000 NYG NFL 4 56 98 57.1 622 5 6 14 26 0
2002 NYG NFL 1 29 43 67.4 342 4 1 0 0 0
Playoff totals 7 116 200 58.0 1279 12 10 21 30 0

Sources

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