Collins 'up to speed;' rookie Raji absent
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Aug. 1, 2009
Green Bay On the same day that first-round draft choice B.J. Raji broke his promise that he wouldn't miss any training camp because of contract matters, Green Bay Packers veteran Nick Collins was in uniform and largely through with his offseason protest over the team's refusal to extend his current deal.
Given the scope of previous disturbances that involved Brett Favre, Javon Walker and Mike McKenzie, the Packers have very little to complain about this season.
Raji's absence really isn't a shock given rookie economics and the number of first-round picks who remain unsigned.
The fact Collins honored his contract and was on the field with his teammates for the first training camp practice Saturday, on the other hand, is a meaningful development.
The Packers are basically without distraction heading into this very important training camp for coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson.
"I'm here to win a championship," Collins said. "Help this team win the best way I can. I'm a team player. That's why they brought me here. My main focus is to better myself and this team."
Approximately 2,100 fans witnessed the first practice of the 2009 season and what they saw was a secondary that features the same blend of new and old talent that made it the strength of the entire football team last season.
The fact Collins, a safety, chose to limit his boycott of team activities to only those that were voluntary allowed for the pieces to be back in place.
"We have the same guys, which is good," cornerback Al Harris said. "Everybody is familiar with the guy next to him, so that makes a big difference. Nick is fine. He's going to be the same guy he was before. I'm not worried about him."
Coming off a 6-10 season, no player has much leverage in contract negotiations, but the Packers handed over $9 million per year to receiver Greg Jennings in a three-year contract extension and paid a $375,000 bonus to cornerback Tramon Williams on a one-year deal, which is rarely done for an exclusive rights free agent.
Collins, meanwhile, was told to wait.
It's not as if he'll be cheated out of a fair wage, though. An escalator in his contract boosted his salary from $545,000 to $3.045 million for 2009, more than enough to reward him for his first Pro Bowl election last season.
But long-term deals are what all players seek and Collins turned what began as a sabbatical in March to be with his dying father and newborn child into a full-fledged protest over the team's unwillingness to address his contract.
It's questionable whether he gained anything by skipping voluntary offseason workouts because nothing has changed.
No one in the organization has approached him to at least tell him that they want him to be around for many years to come.
"It's just been my agent and them," Collins said. "I have no dealing with it. That's between them and my agent. I want no parts of it. I have no idea what's going on upstairs. My main focus is what I can do on the field. That will take care of itself."
If Collins has another season like he did last year - 77 solo tackles, seven interceptions, 295 interception return yards and three touchdowns - then he'll be rewarded handsomely. But the club seems to want him to audition in the new 3-4 scheme before handing over a big chunk of money.
In the defense the Packers are playing, the strong safety is the big playmaker and right now Atari Bigby is getting the most time at that position.
Despite missing all the voluntary on-field activities, Collins appears to be up to speed with the new defense. He went mostly unnoticed the couple of times he came to town to meet in the classroom with new safeties coach Darren Perry, who offered a crash course on the defense and gave Collins material to take home.
"I'm up to speed with everything," he said. "People are going to write what they're going to write, just because I wasn't here. They don't know my situation. Let them talk. I don't worry about everything."
Not being with his teammates during the dog days of OTAs (organized team activities) could be construed as inexcusable insolence given he does have a contract and is earning more than every other player in the secondary except Harris and Charles Woodson. But there is a code among players that each man must take care of business because nobody else is going to take care of it for him.
"Everybody wants to be financially stable and take care of their families, but you also have a team and they're your family too," Williams said. "It's a tough business. You want to stick by those guys. That's the most important thing."
It remains to be seen whether Collins lets the contract situation affect his play negatively or if he files it away until the club finally calls his agent.
He never really intended to skip training camp, smartly recognizing that all it would do is cost him a large sum in fines. So his boycott is over and now it's time to play football.
"Business will take care of itself," Collins said. "I can't worry about it. Just go along with the flow. Hopefully, something gets done, if not, I can't complain. You're blessed just to be in the NFL. It doesn't last long."