RAND: Seven years without a start and counting
Jul 12, 2005, 6:25:00 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ
I was surfing on ESPN.com the other day and was startled to see a column start out by singing the praises of Todd Collins. I’d almost forgotten about Collins, and I suspect that I’m not alone. He’s the backup quarterback whom play-by-play voice Mitch Holthus refers to as “the Maytag repair man.” Collins seldom gets any calls because the starter, Trent Green, never breaks down.
Collins, according to Len Pasquarelli, “has provided Kansas City a prized commodity that is sorely lacking around the NFL at the critical number two quarterback position: Stability.”
No argument there. But does anybody actually know how Collins might perform if he had to take over for Green during a close game or had to make a start? He has the rare distinction of playing seven years for the Chiefs without a start while throwing just 27 passes. This is good because it tells you how healthy the Chiefs’ starting quarterbacks have been. This is bad because Collins surely could use more work.
Collins is one of a kind in the NFL. A former starter in Buffalo, he has enough ability and experience to be counted on as a backup. But he hasn’t inspired any other team to snatch him away in free agency. And he’s affordable enough for the Chiefs to squeeze under their salary cap, which often isn’t the case with a veteran backup quarterback.
Because Green has never missed a start in four years with the Chiefs, the backup’s ability is never an issue when the Chiefs go to training camp. And there’s never a quarterback controversy — especially not since Green’s exceptional play quieted critics who were all over him for throwing 24 interceptions in 2001.
Collins has just about all the qualities you’d want in a backup quarterback. After four years under Dick Vermeil, he knows the Chiefs’ system inside and out. After seven years as a backup, he knows how to prepare for each game as if he were going to play, even while knowing he probably won’t. And he’s acquired the mental readiness to step on the field at a moment’s notice, despite not getting a lot of practice snaps during the week.
Oh, we’ll see a lot of Collins in preseason games, but they won’t mean much. Given all the vanilla defenses and inexperienced players who are thrown into preseason games, it’s rare that a veteran quarterback doesn’t look sharp in August. Green’s main mission for the preseason will be to stay healthy and allow Collins to revert to his mystery man role.
How would Collins perform if he’s needed to step in? Chances are, he’d be O.K., at least in the short run. If the Chiefs continue to have a powerhouse offense, he’d be handed the keys to an impressive machine. Given an outstanding line and impact players Priest Holmes and Tony Gonzalez, Collins ought to be able to keep lighting up the scoreboard.
A contending NFL team usually can get by with its backup quarterback for a couple of games. Either he plays well, some offensive playmakers make big plays or the defense and special teams help turn a game around. Beyond a few games, though, few teams can keep winning without their number one guy at the NFL’s most important position. Sooner or later, a backup quarterback usually demonstrates why he’s the backup.
Anyway, it’s nice that Collins is getting noticed for seldom getting noticed. A lot of coaches like to say that it’s great to have depth until you actually have to use it. The best-case scenario for the Chiefs is that a year from now they still won’t exactly know what to expect out of Collins.
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