Pats players agree: Collins is a freak

[JMC00]

Deus' post after the Pats drafted him.

"Someone needs to drug test Belichick immediately.'

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...nfl-draft-thread.1023448/page-16#post-3438035

 

[Archeryaddict12]

Deus' post after the Pats drafted him.

"Someone needs to drug test Belichick immediately.'

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...nfl-draft-thread.1023448/page-16#post-3438035

Deus was under the influence that night

 

[JMC00]

Was just backreading the "Welcome Jamie Collins" thread

This post by @VrabelJr caught my attention

That number probably isn't right. But what's the best about Jamie Collins is he isn't a pass rusherfirst. He's an all-around player that can rush the passer, cover and stop the run. He can also play from a 2 or 3 point stance but I imagine we'll be using him mostly from a 2 point. Akeem Ayers is the best comparison I can think of right now.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...-lb-jamie-collins.1023527/page-2#post-3439209

 

[VrabelJr]

Was just backreading the "Welcome Jamie Collins" thread

This post by @VrabelJr caught my attention

That number probably isn't right. But what's the best about Jamie Collins is he isn't a pass rusherfirst. He's an all-around player that can rush the passer, cover and stop the run. He can also play from a 2 or 3 point stance but I imagine we'll be using him mostly from a 2 point. Akeem Ayers is the best comparison I can think of right now.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...-lb-jamie-collins.1023527/page-2#post-3439209

Wow! Nice digging. I'm so glad we have both Akeem Ayers now

 

[BelichickFan]

Andy Benoit (MMQB) had a series of tweets today about the Patriots-Fins game. These two catche the attention :

Andy Benoit @Andy_Benoit · 22m22 minutes ago
#Patriots Film: Collins flashed in a multitude of ways. Unbelievable short area athleticism and downhill burst. Will soon be top 5 NFL LB.

Andy Benoit @Andy_Benoit · 2h2 hours ago
#Patriots Film: Collins tremendous lateral pursuit ability vs. run. A WOW athlete.


Other good stuff there, check his timeline (I think that's the correct twitter terminology).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The legend of Collins grows. . . .

http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...-stands-head-and-shoulders-above-them-all.ece

One key tidbit that may have been reported here, but it was news to me when I saw it: Belichick traveled down to Mississippi to work Collins out himself.

 

[slam]

Deus' post after the Pats drafted him.

"Someone needs to drug test Belichick immediately.'

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...nfl-draft-thread.1023448/page-16#post-3438035

He was taking Adderall and staying at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

[mayoclinic]

The legend of Collins grows. . . .

http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...-stands-head-and-shoulders-above-them-all.ece

One key tidbit that may have been reported here, but it was news to me when I saw it: Belichick traveled down to Mississippi to work Collins out himself.

I don't recall the source, but there were reports that BB overruled his scouts in making the Collins pick.

 

[manxman2601]

The legend of Collins grows. . . .

http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...-stands-head-and-shoulders-above-them-all.ece

One key tidbit that may have been reported here, but it was news to me when I saw it: Belichick traveled down to Mississippi to work Collins out himself.

He was certainly after an athletic linebacker like that. He worked out Lavonte David the year previously and there were rumours linking the Pats to Bobby Wagner too. I like both those guys but I'm very happy how things turned out.

 

[manxman2601]

Was just backreading the "Welcome Jamie Collins" thread

This post by @VrabelJr caught my attention

That number probably isn't right. But what's the best about Jamie Collins is he isn't a pass rusherfirst. He's an all-around player that can rush the passer, cover and stop the run.

That's the great thing about both Hightower and Collins - they play all three roles of a linebacker to a high standard. There aren't that many linebackers that can play the run, play the pass and rush the passer and we have two of them. There was a report after the last game about Hightower lining up over the center and bull rushing him back into the QBs face. Collins' speed and explosiveness and Hightower's power and strength compliment each other perfectly.

 

[Nikolai]

That's the great thing about both Hightower and Collins - they play all three roles of a linebacker to a high standard. There aren't that many linebackers that can play the run, play the pass and rush the passer and we have two of them. There was a report after the last game about Hightower lining up over the center and bull rushing him back into the QBs face. Collins' speed and explosiveness and Hightower's power and strength compliment each other perfectly.

It's one hell of an LB corps in the making right now. I don't know if they're recognized nationally all that much, but come playoff time, they're going to turn heads.

 

[manxman2601]

It's one hell of an LB corps in the making right now. I don't know if they're recognized nationally all that much, but come playoff time, they're going to turn heads.

And if Easley works out as well as those two, the 2012-14 drafts will become a thing of legend for Patriot fans: Jones-Hightower-Collins-Easley. People will understandably talk about Revis and Browner but those picks are going to make the next few years pretty fun to watch when the defense are on the field.

 

[JMC00]

It's one hell of an LB corps in the making right now. I don't know if they're recognized nationally all that much, but come playoff time, they're going to turn heads.

I know this is PFF so a lot of people will roll their eyes but Hightower and Collins are 2 of the 4 PFF Pro Bowl ILB.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/12/17/2014-pff-pro-bowl-selections/2/

They also have them ranked #1 and #3 for ILB with a mininuim of 60% of snaps played.

 

[manxman2601]

I know this is PFF so a lot of people will roll their eyes but Hightower and Collins are 2 of the 4 PFF Pro Bowl ILB.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/12/17/2014-pff-pro-bowl-selections/2/

They also have them ranked #1 and #3 for ILB with a mininuim of 60% of snaps played.

And further to my point on how versatile they are, Hightower is #3 in coverage amongst ILBs and Hightower and Collins are 1/2 in pressuring the QB amongst ILBs.

 

[mayoclinic]

He was certainly after an athletic linebacker like that. He worked out Lavonte David the year previously and there were rumours linking the Pats to Bobby Wagner too. I like both those guys but I'm very happy how things turned out.

I don't know how many players are playing NCAA football on scholarship, but it must be well over 10,000. The majority don't make it close to the pros, but there are still so many teams and so many players that it's impossible to find all the hidden gems.

I was extremely interested in Dion Jordan going into the 2012 college season. I thought he had a rare combination of size, speed and fluidity in space that made him an unusually versatile potential "chess piece". Jordan was considered a 2nd/3rd round prospect at the time, and ended up going #3 overall in the 2013 draft.

Mackenzie Pantoja, a then-high school student and scouting prodigy who wrote draft profiles for NFLMocks.com and who is now an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, wrote on our draft prospect thread in January of 2013:

The thing I have a tough time wrapping my head around is, well, how is Jordan more valuable than say, Jamie Collins? People say Jordan has awesome length and height. As much as I love length, it's only useful if you know how to use your hands to shed off blocks. Until he learns something, anything at all, about hand usage, his height is more of a disadvantage, at least as a pass rusher, because he can't get low enough to get good leverage against offensive tackles. By comparison, Collins played both linebacker and defensive end this year (Southern Miss's base defense alternates between a 3-3-5 and a 4-2-5 depending on Collins). He got 10 sacks this year (well more than Jordan). He may not be as tall as Jordan, but Jordan's height doesn't matter since he knows nothing about hand usage. Collins can actually do something against the run (stats are by no means perfect, but 44 tackles compared to 92 tackles is kind of a big deal). Collins has mediocre quickness but great change of direction skills, which translates well in coverage. Although Jordan's height is nice in coverage, Collins is by no means too short to cover tight ends at 6'3. And athletically, they're basically identical. Collins is 240lbs and runs a 4.65. Jordan is 243lbs and runs a 4.68. So tell me: what does Jordan have that Collins doesn't?

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...3-prospect-thread.914913/page-95#post-3321007 (post #1892)

And he was 100% right. Not a lot of people knew about Collins at that time.

It's to BB's credit that he puts in the legwork to go evaluate these kind of prospects, and that he can see past the media hype and rankings. It's also to his credit that he figured out how to use Collins effectively (whereas Miami tried to bulk Dion Jordan up and turn him into a full time line player, which took away his most valuable skill set and exposed his weaknesses).

 

[Joker]

Mayo's injury has been a blessing in disguise.

 

[manxman2601]

I don't know how many players are playing NCAA football on scholarship, but it must be well over 10,000. The majority don't make it close to the pros, but there are still so many teams and so many players that it's impossible to find all the hidden gems.

I was extremely interested in Dion Jordan going into the 2012 college season. I thought he had a rare combination of size, speed and fluidity in space that made him an unusually versatile potential "chess piece". Jordan was considered a 2nd/3rd round prospect at the time, and ended up going #3 overall in the 2013 draft.

Mackenzie Pantoja, a then-high school student and scouting prodigy who wrote draft profiles for NFLMocks.com and who is now an undergraduate at the University of Chicago wrote on our draft prospect thread in January of 2013:


http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...3-prospect-thread.914913/page-95#post-3321007 (post #1892)

And he was 100% right. Not a lot of people knew about Collins at that time.

It's to BB's credit that he puts in the legwork to go evaluate these kind of prospects, and that he can see past the media hype and rankings. It's also to his credit that he figured out how to use Collins effectively (whereas Miami tried to bulk Dion Jordan up and turn him into a full time line player, which took away his most valuable skill set and exposed his weaknesses).

I miss Mackenzie. I remember Pete Prisco mocking Collins to the Pats in his final mock. More fool me but I never really looked at Collins, even after the combine. Don't know why I never really gave him an extended look.

 

[mayoclinic]

I miss Mackenzie. I remember Pete Prisco mocking Collins to the Pats in his final mock. More fool me but I never really looked at Collins, even after the combine. Don't know why I never really gave him an extended look.

I hope Mackenzie is having a great time in college. His scouting reports were sometimes brilliant, and on a different level from the rest of the stuff on that particular site.

It took me a little time on Collins, but he was very high on my draft board in 2013. I never really thought the Pats would take him, though. Again, more credit to them for scouting him out, and for going outside of the conventional mold.

 

[mayoclinic]

Yet another Collins encomium:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...fl_notes_collins_again_has_big_finishing_kick

I particularly liked this part, in response to Troy Brown referring to Collins as "Mr. December":

“I don’t know about Mr. December, because I feel like he’s been playing like this all year ’round. But if that name sticks, let it stick,” fellow linebacker Dont'a Hightower said of Collins, who’s now in his third year. “He’s definitely been playing really good these past couple of weeks. And we thrive on that.

“You have Browner Browner, and we thrive off his emotions, but the way Jamie plays, I feel we thrive off that, too.”

I can sort of see that. Not to diminish the contributions or abilities of other guys, but both Browner and Collins seem to provide a spark that ignites the defense as a whole: Browner by his physicality and intensity, and Collins by his athletic playmaking.

I also liked this from Heath Evans:

“He’s a guy you can tell who’s listening. He’s very intent on the coaching he’s getting because you see him in the pass game at times, really take angles away from the backs and tight ends,” the former Patriots fullback said. “Usually, players of his age, are just playing athletic but stupid football. He’s obviously well-coached, but he’s taking the coaching. And I love seeing that.”

 

[Galeb]

BRB. I gotta go to the store to get more tissues.