Former Packers Safety Nick Collins has officially retired from the NFL, NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk reports.
During his playing time with Green Bay from 2005-2011, as you probably remember, Collins was a huge part of the team's defense, collecting 417 tackles and 6 interceptions en route to 3 Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring in 2010.
However, in 2011 all of that success ended when Collins sustained a severe neck injury against the Panthers, an event that eventually led to today's news.
Collins, 31, was released by the Pack in October 2012, essentially ending his professional career.
In an article recently published by ESPN Wisconsin, Packers HC Mike McCarthy was interestingly quoted saying that he is "very open and optimistic" about a Jermichael Finley return.
“Pat (McKenzie) doesn't feel the same way about Jermichael as he felt about Nick,” McCarthy said in an interview at his Indianapolis hotel during a break in the annual NFL Scouting Combine. “So I'm very open and optimistic about Jermichael coming back. I think the specifics of their injuries are different."
So yea Packer fans, that's great news. It still doesn't guarantee anything, but still, it's a step in the right direction, isn't it?
In an article recently published by ESPN Wisconsin, former Packers Safety Nick Collins, now a free agent attempting to make a comeback after his neck injury a few years ago, claimed that Packers team Dr. Pat McKenzie was the only doctor he saw that wouldn't medically clear him to play.
“The only doctor that was really unsure was Dr. McKenzie. He wasn’t quite sold on the idea of me playing for the Packers anymore,” Collins said. “That’s not saying that I wasn’t cleared to go nowhere else. I was cleared to go somewhere else. He just wasn’t 100 percent sold on the idea."
Now Collins didn't say exactly how many teams examined him, but still, I'm sensing a little hesitation on McKenzie's behalf here. I mean, if the guy has to admit that you were the only one to not clear him, then you must be acting at least a little differently than everyone else.
The specialist who performed Collins' neck surgery advised the ex-Packer to to end his pursuit of an NFL comeback following a recent examination. Collins had been training regularly at IMG Academy in Florida, though that training ceased after the latest examination.
I'm not glad his career is over, but I don't want to see him playing again if he's risking so much.
He had a great career as his three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl (2008-2010) would attest. The Packers are still trying retool (Jerron McMillian seems like the answer for the moment) their secondary which collapsed last season, in part, due to Collins's absence. He made a lot of big plays (17 INTs from 2008 through 2010) but he also cleaned up when mistakes were made in the secondary.
For whatever reason, under GM Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers haven't made a big effort to stock their safety position with depth. When S Atari Bigby struggled with injuries in 2008 and 2009, his absence exposed their lack of depth. It was so bad in 2008 that they switched Charles Woodson to safety for one game, and in 2009, they even gave LB Brandon Chillar some reps at the position.
Actually, at the start of the 2011 season, the Packers had as much depth at safety as they've had in recent years. Nick Collins hadn't missed a game since 2007 and Morgan Burnett had returned from an ACL injury. Charlie Peprah was held in reserve as the top backup after starting in place of Burnett for most of the 2010 season. Instead the position was blown open by the (probably) career ending neck injury to Collins and the collapse of Peprah, who was bad throughout the season, before getting embarrassed during the playoff loss to the Giants.
The Packers haven't uncovered every stone to upgrade at safety, but selecting Jerron McMillan in the 4th round and signing two undrafted rookies is a big haul for them. Obviously the release of Collins has made this more of a priority than it had been in recent years, but the 2012 draft class was weak at safety so it's understandable that they went with some high risk/high reward prospects, especially when they needed to use their high draft choices to bolster the pass rush and defensive line.
JSOnline.com takes a closer look at M.D. Jennings, who the Packers saw something in last year after signing him as an undrafted free agent. I'm not a believer in him yet, but I expect he'll get a much longer look this preseason with a full offseason to prepare, and with the expectation that he should be the top backup, or even the starter alongside Burnett.
He's probably a long-shot to make the roster, but they also signed Micah Pellerin, an undrafted rookie out of Hampton, to give them another option. According to NFL Draft Scout, he's undersized, but showed good coverage skills at the East-West Shrine Game. Right now they need as many options as they can get.
The Journal-Sentinel reports that the Green Bay Packers will release Nick Collins. It's really a sad day for all involved. The Packers will save some salary cap room, but I think GM Ted Thompson would rather pay him and have a Pro Bowl caliber safety. And I understand why they decided to release him. What would happen if he took another awkward hit to the neck? Would he be paralyzed? I really don't want to find out.
It's also a sad day for Collins because he wants to return. It's too bad that it came down to this, and neither Collins or the Packers can know for sure whether he shouldn't play again, but it's the safe decision. And I'd do the same thing if the choice was mine.
In his far too short career with the Packers, Collins became one of the team's best players. He was named the starter during his rookie season in 2005, and he never let go of the job. His first three seasons were on a learning curve. He was good enough to start, but not much of a play maker. However, he broke out in 2008 and made the Pro Bowl in his last three full-seasons (2008 to 2010). He's a great athlete who did everything he could to make himself better, and it's terrible that his time with the Packers has to end this way. Unfortunately it's a violent game, and this is one of those reminders.
There were two different, but related, articles about the Green Bay Packers defensive backfield.
First, the Press-Gazette spoke with GM Ted Thompson about Nick Collins and he said he won't specifically target a safety in the draft. The Packers won't meet again with Collins until after the draft, and even then, they may not know when (or if) he'll ever play again. Thompson never talks much about his draft plans, but the team's immediate needs have to play some part in the decision process (despite his denial). They do have to manage the roster and make sure they have quality players at every position.
Second, the Packers are "looking at a lot of DBs." These guys look like potential undrafted free-agents, but they'll probably need a couple of those guys too. I wouldn't expect much from it, although that's how they acquired CB Tramon Williams.
Bottom line: they can't start Charlie Peprah next season at safety. After a solid 2010 season, he fell to earth last season with poor coverage and poor tackling. If Collins is out, then the list of candidates to even compete with Peprah is short. I'd rather they had a young veteran to challenge Peprah, but they need a more talented option than either M.D. Jennings or Davon House. They'll have to find that player in this draft. The safety class isn't great, and I'm no fan of moving Charles Woodson to safety, though there are a lot of talented prospects at corner. They should use a high draft choice to find a better option at safety.
