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Redemption song One of the good guys finds success on a grand stage
Championship Game Awards | Factoid
... Click here to send a question to Peter King's NFL Mailbag. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- I stuck my hand out to Kerry Collins 90 minutes after the greatest day of his life, and said: "From the guy who said your signing with the Giants was the worst signing in the history of free agency, I'd like to say I was wrong. You were great today." "I remember," Collins said, nodding seriously. "Appreciate it."
Collins signed with the Giants 23 months ago, after an awful 1998 season in which he'd been released by Carolina, gotten picked up by New Orleans, gotten arrested for DWI, then been told by the Saints they wouldn't re-sign him. The Saints and Panthers were two of the worst offenses in the NFL in 1998, and if they didn't want him, I figured Collins would go to some camp as a low-salary free agent -- maybe with a bonus of a few bucks -- and try to earn his way back into a starting role. Then the Giants signed him to a four-year, $16.9 million deal, with $5 million to sign. I was flabbergasted. Two teams give up on a player with a soiled reputation off the field, two bad teams, and this is the thanks Collins gets? Well, I went ripping. I said Giants GM Ernie Accorsi spent money he didn't need to, and shouldn't have, because there was no strong competition out there for Collins; I've always thought Accorsi was misled by agent Leigh Steinberg about the level of interest around the league for Collins. And I said on a local talk show that it was the worst signing in the history of free agency. Well, I was wrong. Not about the money; I still think you don't pay for a player in this league when he doesn't deserve it, and Collins, at the time, didn't. But I was wrong about his talent, and I was wrong about Accorsi's trust in his Penn State contacts who told him the kid would be all right. Accorsi is the one who now deserves kudos for hanging with the kid during a bad time in his life. Accorsi should also get plaudits for signing valuable low-cost free agents who helped the Giants, stunningly, get to a Super Bowl -- offensive linemen Dusty Ziegler (cap cost: $796,000), Glenn Parker ($584,000), Lomas Brown ($493,000) and cornerback Dave Thomas ($542,000). Four Super Bowl starters for $2.4 million on the cap? That's good work. I met Collins the day he was drafted by Carolina in 1995. Always seemed a fast-talking, sort of nervous kid in his Carolina and New Orleans days. Not now. He's more self-assured and calm. He humbled himself with the Giants. He went to rehab. He went back to college. He studied psychology during the past two offseasons, in part to figure out what made his personality destructive at some points of his life. Whether you root for the Giants or not, Collins deserves your respect. He saw his life was screwed up, has tried to fix it, and now is playing the best football of his life. I asked his buddy, kicker Brad Daluiso, how Collins was to be around last week. The two went to a sushi place near the stadium Wednesday night. "I was in bed by 10," Collins told me. "Kerry was the same this week as he's been every week for two years," Daluiso said. "Focused. Calm. Working hard trying to win a game. There's no great story there." I think there is. It's the redemption for Collins on a big stage, and redemption for the GM who stuck his neck out for him. Mea culpa.
Championship Game Awards
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Baltimore LB Ray Lewis. "I am confused!" Westwood One Radio's Bob Trumpy yelled over the airwaves in the second half of the Ravens' 16-3 win at Oakland. "I am starting to believe there is more than one Ray Lewis out there! He is everywhere!" Lewis (10 tackles, one fumbled recovered on a crucial second-half play) is quite simply the most dominating defensive player of this season, and he saved one of his best days ever for the biggest game of his life. "Lewis," said ESPN's Tom Jackson on Sunday night, "is Dick Butkus and Joe Greene in his prime." Amen, Tom. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: New York Giants safety Lyle West, for burrowing in a pile at 7-0 in the first quarter, stealing the ball from the Vikings returners, and setting up the second touchdown in the most unlikely win of this, or any other, season. COACH OF THE WEEK: (tie) New York Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton and defensive coordinator John Fox. I can't decide. Let's see. An offense that scored no touchdowns last week against Philadelphia puts five touchdowns and 518 yards on the board in the NFC Championship Game -- with an amazing 42:22 time of possession. Or a defense that takes on the best offensive team remaining in the playoffs and holds it to a goose egg on the scoreboard and 114 total yards. You pick one. I can't. If both of these men don't get head-coaching interviews after the Super Bowl, there is something wrong with the system.
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only MeCris Carter paid $2,500 to put up a billboard in downtown Minneapolis thanking Vikes fans for their support.
The 10 Things I Think I Think1. I think -- no, I know -- that the Cleveland Browns have dangled full control of their football operations, plus the head coach's job, to Bill Parcells, who I believe is not interested. 2. I think sitting next to Paul Zimmerman during a game is an education/experience/shock-jockish thing to do. Zimmy on the next good young head coach in the game: "Marvin Lewis. Because he's the best coach." Zimmy on the 2001's best team: "The Rams. They'll get rid of Kevin Carter and Trent Green, and they'll have three ones in April, and get some good defensive players." Zimmy after the Giants made it 41-0: "This is Nebraska-North Texas State." Zimmy with three minutes left in the third quarter: "Chris Walsh has more catches than Carter and Moss combined." 3. I think this was the funniest cover-your-rear line I've heard all season. The other day, Buffalo introduced Tom Donahoe as president and general manager. He had worked for ESPN.com this season, and had said about the Bills' quarterback situation that because Doug Flutie was 21-9 as a starter, how could he not be the starter over Rob Johnson? When asked about it at his introductory press conference in Buffalo, Donohoe said: "That was my Internet personality." 4. I think these are my head-coaching opinions of the week: a. The Pittsburgh Steelers gained one heck of an offensive line coach last week in Russ Grimm. Grimm played a major role in rookie Chris Samuels' four-sack season with the Redskins. "Russ is an incredible teacher," Samuels told me, and this was the proof: Samuels pitched 13 shutouts in 16 games. b. I bet the Jets hire Tampa Bay defensive aide Herman Edwards by Wednesday, breaking the NFL's 40-of-the-past-41-coaching-hires-being-white schneid. I bet Detroit, Buffalo and Cleveland would have fought over Baltimore defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis this week had the Ravens lost, but now it'll be interesting to see which one of those teams panics and moves on to their Plan B -- Dom Capers, for example. c. Gutsy call on Les Steckel, Tony Dungy. It had to happen. I knew that when HBO aired the infamous in-game line from quarterback Shaun King to Steckel: "Let me play!" Too much talent there for the Bucs to stumble around so much. d. The most accurate words on the coaching profession that I heard in the past week were voiced by Parcells, when I asked him about the return to the sidelines of Dick Vermeil. "Peter," Parcells said, "it's a narcotic." e. Ten million bucks is a narcotic, too. f. Memo to Parcells, who drove the length of I-95 Friday night and Saturday and watched the championship games at his place in Florida: Buy a minor-league team. Buy the New Jersey Jackals, or the Trenton Thunder. Have Bon Jovi sing the opening day National Anthem. Have Edie Falco throw out the first ball. I know it's what you want to do. [Bill Parcells Trivia Question: What do Parcells and Hank Aaron have in common?] 5. I think the last player San Diego head coach Mike Riley wants to draft come April is Michael Vick. I know you think I am certifiable. But this is why Riley would rather have three picks in the top 40, which is the kind of value Vick will fetch if he chooses to come out of Virginia Tech: Vick does the 2001 Chargers no good. He is a light year away from playing quality NFL football. So he gets Riley fired, easy. And three players, if one is a pass-rusher and at least one an offensive lineman who can play immediately, helps Riley keep his job. And long term, I like it anyway. These high-pick quarterbacks have a much better chance to wash out than to win early. 6. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week: a. That was the nicest day I've seen in northern New Jersey on a winter football Sunday. Ever. b. I wonder how those inspirational, Tony Robbins -ish Rick Pitino winners' books are selling this week. c. Ted Koppel did an excellent Nightline series on the Clinton presidency last week, and I swear the president aged 20 years, not eight, in his two terms. d. Coffeenerdness: Dr. Z got me coffee in the Giants Stadium press box. e. Happy Kid of the Weekend: Laura King. She doesn't give a darn about football, but she is one happy Montclair High School senior this morning. She's going to the Super Bowl with her friend and field hockey co-captain Perri Hillsberg. f. Montclair (N.J.) High Bowling Note of the Week: The varsity and JV teams dropped to 1-7 on the winter campaign with dual losses to local power Immaculate Heart Academy. Rookie Mary Beth King, however, had her finest day of the season, rolling a 402 series (137, a career-high 143 and 126), and came home from Bowler City in Hackensack quite pleased. You'll recall that Mary Beth, a freshman, has nicknamed her coach, Tony Cedola, "Mr. Cebola" (as in Ce- bowl -a). "Mr.Cebola," she announced excitedly after her 402 series, "says if I keep rolling like that I'll have a shot to make varsity!" For a while at Bowler City, however, Mr. Cebola was upset with Mary Beth, because she got the $1.95 french fries and was eating them between frames. He was concerned she would get grease on the ball, and it would become slippery. But once she explained that she was only eating right-handed, Mr. Cebola was okay. She's a southpaw kegler. How about that: Fries, bowling and strawberry soda. "It's the perfect sport for you," her mom, Ann , said at the dinner table the other night. Life is good for Mary Beth King. And it got better, on Friday, when she called me excitedly from the team bus on the way to the match with Paramus and said: "Daddy, guess what? Mr. Cebola promoted me to varsity!" She responded with a 426 series. Mr. Cebola, who, coincidentally, is a statistician at Giants' home games, was quite impressed with her bowling when I saw him in the press box Sunday. h. I think Danny Aiello and Rudy Giuliani looked like sad hangers-on in the Giants' locker room after the game. Angie Harmon, however, looked anything but sad. 7. I think, and this will surprise you, that Marshall Faulk will make a good general manager someday. 8. I think once the Ravens' defense starts looking at Giants' film, they will start rooting for Ron Dayne to be in the game early and often. 9. I think Millen's hoarse voice said, picking up the private line in his Detroit Lions CEO office Friday morning: "Hello?" "Matt? Is that you?" I asked. It didn't sound like him. "Yeah." "Hey, it's Peter King. How you doing?" "I didn't know sleep deprivation was part of the job description," Millen said. Get used to it, buddy. By the way, Millen is the object of a boatload of personnel-guy envy in the NFL right now for his $3-million-a-year deal, which I told him. His new peers are stunned to see a neophyte make so much money. 10. I think this will be one heck of a Super Bowl. I love it. If you'd told me before the season that Super Bowl XXXV would feature a Collins-Dilfer matchup, I'd have probably driven the porcelain bus, if you know what I mean. But this game will be so good, so compelling and so much of a chess match. I can't wait to see it. Trivia answer: Parcells and Aaron both homered off Al Downing, Parcells in American Legion ball and Aaron when it really counted.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL and appears
regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's NFL Preview. Click here to send a
question to his NFL Mailbag.
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