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Monday, December 11, 2000

EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. -- In the gloom of an ugly December afternoon, while the Steelers' slim playoffs hopes virtually disappeared, Kerry Collins continued the work of rebuilding a career and a life.

It was just two years ago that Collins seemed finished with football. He had asked out of the lineup at Carolina, a sin of immense magnitude in the macho world of the NFL. He was waived by the Panthers in short order but quickly snatched by New Orleans, where he flopped.

His life was in chaos. His drinking problem was real. Allegations of racism and questions about his toughness and leadership ability might not have been, but it was all enough to place his football future in doubt.

For reasons not altogether clear at the time, the New York Giants were willing to take a chance. They signed Collins, an All-American quarterback on the great 1994 undefeated Penn State team, to a four-year, $14 million contract. A lot of people laughed.

No one's laughing any more. Collins has rewarded the Giants with the kind of play at quarterback that can take a team to the playoffs. He and wide receiver Amani Toomer turned what was otherwise a defensive struggle into their personal showcase. They continually came up with big plays, and the Giants dominated the Steelers, 30-10, in a game that wasn't that close.

Collins completed 24 of 35 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Toomer caught nine balls for 136 yards and one touchdown.

Most significant, the Giants were at their best in crucial third-down situations. In a game where there was no running room for two of the best rushing offenses in the NFL, Collins made the difference. Consider:

On third-and-10 from his 16 on the second possession of the game, Collins passed 28 yards to Toomer.

Three plays later, on another third-and-10, Collins passed 12 yards to Tiki Barber.

On a third-and-6 at the Steelers' 30 in the second quarter, Collins passed 6 yards to Joe Jurevicius, his former Penn State teammate, for a first down that helped set up a New York touchdown.

On third-and-9 at the Steelers' 36 in the third quarter, Collins flipped a shovel pass to Barber that went for 23 yards and set up another touchdown.

On third-and-8 from the Giants' 34 in the fourth quarter, Collins passed 45 yards to Toomer to set up the final New York touchdown.

"He's a big-time quarterback, who can play in big-time games," Giants Coach Jim Fassel said. "He showed that today. He operated well. He is growing and growing and getting better."

For the season, Collins has thrown for 3,149 yard, 19 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. The promise he showed at Penn State and his first two seasons with Carolina is coming to fruition.

He led the Panthers to a 10-4 record and the NFC title game in his second season, when he was also selected to the Pro Bowl. It has been mostly downhill from there.

He had arrests for driving while intoxicated and questions about his character, but the Giants couldn't forget that early promise. He became their starting quarterback when Kent Graham was hurt in November last season and has continued to progress as a player and a person.

It has been a long road back with a long way to go, and no one knows that better than Collins.

"I came here in tough circumstances," he said. "These guys gave me more than an opportunity to play. They gave me the opportunity to show that I'm a decent human being. I wanted to pay them back with good play."

He was all the Giants, a team whose strength has been the run, had yesterday. Running backs Barber and Ron Dayne were stuffed by the Steelers, both averaging less than 2 yards per carry. The Giants had to pass. The Steelers had to know the Giants were passing but couldn't do much about it.

"He's awesome," Barber said. "He gives us a chance to win. He makes the big plays when we have to. He has definitely been our leader."

"Everyone respects him because he pulled himself up by the bootstraps and made the decision to be the person he is today," Toomer said.

Fourteen million dollars is a lot of money, even by the standards of professional sports. But in the case of Collins, it has been money well spent.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.