Landon Collins, in a contract year, not worried about potential for injury
Landon Collins of the Giants looks on during a video review in the fourth quarter against the Saints at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Landon Collins and Earl Thomas have become close over the last few years, going to Pro Bowls together, being represented by the same agency and attending each others’ camps in the summer. They also are both in similar in that they are in the final year of their current contracts and figure to make a lot of money on their next deal.
So when Thomas was carted off the field last weekend with a fractured leg – and an ensuing gesture toward his team’s sideline – Collins noticed.
But the Giants safety said it won’t affect his play.
"It's always in the back of your head that you don't want to get hurt, definitely in a contract season you want to be secure," Collins said on Wednesday. "But I play football. I love this game. I'm going to play hard."
Their situations may be similar but they are different. Collins still is on his rookie deal looking for his first big payday. Thomas was trying to engineer a trade to another team that would pay him what the Seahawks seemed unwilling to.
Staying healthy is one of the ways Collins will cash in this offseason. So is putting up big numbers. So far, those have eluded him. He does not have any interceptions or sacks (although he had 14 tackles against the Saints on Sunday and also had a nice pass break-up).
Collins said he’s not over-reaching for those game-changing plays to come.
"Honestly, I'm just playing ball," Collins said. "If I'm itching for it, that's when I'm pressing for it. That's going to cause me to make a mistake. If I make a mistake, that's going to cost us either a first down or a touchdown, so I play my game and my assignments and let it come to me patiently."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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