Kerry Collins on Brett Favre, getting old, being a backup, and life ...
Former Giants quarterback Kerry Collins, now a backup to Vince Young in Tennessee, reflected on a number of subjects during a radio appearance on WGFX in Nashville, courtesy of Sportsradiointerviews.com. A sampling of his comments that surely my Newsday colleague Neil Best will appreciate, since he adored covering Collins during his Giants' days:
On whether there's a side to the Brett Favre saga that he can understand because of Favre's age:
"Absolutely, absolutely. You don’t want to give it up and this is such a unique special thing. There is nothing in our lives, and there is nothing in Brett’s life, my life, or anybody else’s life playing this game that would ever compare to this. If you can do it and physically you feel like you can do it and mentally you feel like you want to do what it takes to prepare and go through a season, by all means you should do it. I know that is probably wrestling with Brett right now and the fact that he has got an injury adds a little bit more to that because physically I don’t think there has ever been an issue with him, but that desire to still go out here and do this and the excitement of playing in front of the crowds that we play in front of and the competitiveness is something that I am sure Brett knows that is going to be gone soon and that he can still do it and I am sure that is why he keeps coming back.”
On whether Favre's struggles make Collins think about his own eventual retirement:
"I think that is what we all go through and regardless of how long we played or the level of success, your whole life has been about football. That is pretty much everything that you geared your life for however long you’ve been playing. That is one thing that is hard for all of us to I think reconcile is the fact that someday it has got to be over and that is a strong sentiment, that is what keeps a lot of guys back. I am sure that is… Brett doesn’t need to play, he doesn’t need the money, he doesn’t need the fame… Obviously he has got such a passion and love for the game that it is hard to give up. We like to think that we all could say, ‘ok I am done with the game and I am going to move on and everything is going to be great. It is not that simple. It is so much a part of your life that it is hard to give up.”
On whether he plans to stay close to the game when he retires:
“I would say that I would probably be one of those who, at least for the short term, would want to get away from it. I really don’t have any desire to coach at any level at this point. Just because the hours that it takes to put in, I know what it takes to coach in college, I know what it takes to coach here, I think I am ready for a break from that kind of commitment, to football. There are things that we all put on hold, that we would all love to do. I would love to take trips during the fall to take a break. But at the same time I can’t foresee getting into coaching anytime in the near future.”
