By George Solomon
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Despite the outcome of yesterday's NFC first-round playoff game between Washington and Seattle, the accomplishments of Redskins quarterback Todd Collins the past four weeks have left some experienced NFL observers in awe and this scribe searching the archives.
"I don't know if the NFL has ever seen a Todd Collins before," said Gil Brandt, the longtime personnel director the Dallas Cowboys who currently serves as an analyst for NFL.com.
"Ten years between snaps; that's unheard of. What it tells you is that the offensive coordinator [Al Saunders] who brought Collins to Washington and paid him a lot of money is pretty good and knew what he was doing."
Consider these numbers: In one relief appearance after Jason Campbell dislocated his left kneecap on Dec. 6 and three subsequent starts, Collins has completed 67 of 105 pass attempts for 888 yards and five touchdowns and a passer rating of 106.4. Okay, so it's only four games and Tom Brady (117.2), Ben Roethlisberger (104.1), David Garrard (102.2), Peyton Manning (98) and Romo the Celeb (97.4) did their work over a full season.
Observed Sonny Jurgensen, the retired Redskins Hall of Fame quarterback turned broadcaster: "If this opportunity had not arisen, Collins might have spent the rest of his life wondering if he could play this game. But he's gotten his chance and taken advantage."
How?
"By being a student of the game," Jurgensen replied. "He came here with Al Saunders from Kansas City, so he knows the offense. He knows where to go, and he makes good decisions quickly."
Those of us old enough to care about such matters recall Earl Morrall replacing the injured Bob Griese (broken leg) five games into the Miami Dolphins' 1972 season and quarterbacking the team to a 14-0 regular season record. But after winning one playoff game, Miami Coach Don Shula replaced Morrall with the recovered Griese, who led the Dolphins past Pittsburgh in the AFC title game and the Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
"But please, don't compare Collins with Morrall," admonished another NFL sage. "Morrall had been the MVP in the league for the Colts in [1968] and won Super Bowl V for the Colts. He played 21 seasons."
Still, Shula saw something in Morrall at the start of the 1972 season, claiming him off waivers for $100. Morrall remained Miami's backup for the next four seasons.
I also remember George Blanda doing good things in relief of Daryle Lamonica at quarterback for several games for Oakland in 1970, when he was 43. Blanda was a place kicker, as well. But at 36, Collins is seven years younger than Blanda was at the time and in a much better situation to earn a fat new contract next season than he was a month ago.
"You'd want Todd Collins on your team," said Jurgensen, ignoring the obvious: The Redskins may not be the only NFL team with such intentions.
Watching From AfarWatching the Redskins at the Palm Beach Ale House with a roomful of Washington expats:
"I sold my tickets to the Dallas game five weeks ago. Who knew?" -- Mehdi Nematolshi, Severna Park
"Todd Collins: priceless." -- Danny Bailin, Rockville
"Keep Collins." -- Debby Neale, Bethesda
"I miss Joe." -- woman wearing Theismann's No. 7 jersey
American CelebrationHas it been almost eight years since Jeff Jones became the men's basketball coach at American University?
The onetime Virginia player and later its basketball coach has guided the Eagles to a winning record in five of the last six seasons. But in the same town as Maryland, Georgetown, George Washington and George Mason ("Don't forget the Redskins," he added), getting attention for AU beyond traffic snarls at Ward Circle is tough.
Or until late Dec. 22, when AU upset Maryland, 67-59, at Comcast Center. It was AU's first win over Maryland after 14 losses spanning 80 years.
"We've tried to carve out a niche here," Jones told me. "The program is in better shape now; we've turned things around in our league, although we still haven't won the league to get to the [NCAA] tournament."
Jones once was considered one of the hot young coaches in the country when he took the Cavaliers to five NCAA tournaments in seven seasons. At 47, he isn't so young anymore but understands the realities of his business.
"In any job, it's most important to be in a place where you can be successful and feel wanted," he said. "It's not always about the paycheck; it's more about being valued."
Bowl WatchingNot good for the locals: Frank Beamer's Hokies, Ralph Friedgen's Terrapins and Al Groh's Cavaliers all gave disappointing bowl performances. Our Hokies fell behind by 17 to Kansas before their late rally fell short (not much fire from Our Guys on that last drive). The Terps did little after the first period losing to Orgeon State; the Cavs blew their game to Texas Tech in the final three minutes. At least Navy showed a pulse losing to Utah.
Did Strayer play?
Okay, Georgia crushed Hawaii, but if you had a choice, students, where would you prefer to attend class?
Finally¿ The Capitals have a nice run (11-6-4) going under new coach Bruce Boudreau, climbing out of the Southeast Division cellar and resulting in some of their fans uttering the "p" word.
Still, Canadian reporters love to poke the Caps in coverage about a potential contract extension for Alex "The Great" Ovechkin. The Toronto Sun reported Ovechkin was "insulted" by the Caps' offer of $37.5 million for five years. The Sun says Ovie wants $9 million to $10 million a year, so the two parties do not seem far apart. Besides, Ovie likes it here, I'm told, as does the Wizards' Agent Zero, who can become a free agent blogger and sign with Yahoo.com after this season.
¿ Brian Billick's nine-year tenure as Ravens coach ended this past week when owner Steve Bisciotti fired him after a 5-11 season. But if tackle Jonathan Ogden retires as some fans expect, he would have had a remarkable career. Eleven Pro Bowls in 12 years. How many St. Albans grads can say that? Not even Al Gore.
¿ Snippets from a West Palm Beach Snowbird: Bird of prey (not Tony's friend Falk) attacking sea gulls in the neighborhood, and Christmas Day slugfest across the street made me think of Howard Cosell stopping his limo to break up a nasty brawl in the south Bronx en route to a title fight at Yankee Stadium about 30 years ago. "This is Howard Cosell and I want this fight stopped right now," recalled author Dave Kindred, a Cosell confidant. That fight ended; my response was to remind my area combatants it was Christmas. They also stopped fighting.
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