NFL
By: Leigh Copson
The Football World Is Laughing But Does Jamie Collins Really Care?
One minute you are playing for arguably the best team in the NFL and looking at a possible second touchdown ring, the next you are playing for a team whose only shot at making history is by going 0-16 this season. That is the position Jamie Collins finds himself in, writes USFootballTips.com’s Leigh Copson.
One of the biggest surprises ahead of the trade deadline saw linebacker Collins go from the New England Patriots to the Cleveland Browns. But why? There were reports that he had demanded “Von Miller money” during talks over a new deal with the franchise, claims he has since denied. However, a pre-season quote has reared its head and perhaps it explains why Collins is no longer a Patriot.
“I didn’t grow up watching football and I still don’t [watch],” he told Improper Bostonian. “Me and Chandler Jones have talked about this since I first got up here [to New England]. I never watched football. I never thought I’d be here, and I’d rather play video games. I don’t really want to watch it.”
And there you have it, the man would rather play video games than watch the sport and that sort of attitude is not going to sit well with a man like New England head coach Bill Belichick, whose relentless drive and talent has led the franchise to four Super Bowl wins and six AFC Championships during his tenure. It certainly did not sit well with legendary linebacker Ray Lewis.
“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard a grown man say – that’s a grown man,” he said during an appearance on FOX Sports show The Herd. “If that’s what you want to do then go do it, but leave the game. That’s the problem with a bunch of these young kids, they just don’t understand. If you want to be somewhat great at anything you’ve got to freaking sit down and pay attention to it.”
Lewis has got a point when it comes to greatness, but perhaps Collins does not want to be great. Perhaps Cleveland’s newest asset simply wants to make as much money as he can as quickly as he can by using his natural talent.
If you are reading this then, like me, you are a football fan. I love the game. This Brit chose football over soccer at a very young age and I still believe this is the greatest game on the planet – being paid to play would have been an absolute dream for me.
Like me, you may have dreamed of donning your team’s colours and stepping out onto the football field just once, but perhaps Collins sees this as nothing more than a job… a very well paid job at that. Perhaps he is not concerned with having two Super Bowl rings on his fingers. Perhaps he does not want his bust to be sat alongside the greats in Canton. Maybe he just wants to make as much money as he can as quickly as possible so that he can enjoy the rest of his life.
So while going from the Patriots to the Browns is massive step down, maybe Collins simply sees it as a change of employer. He will still collect a large paycheck even if the Browns go 0-16 this season, and he will still be able to buy the latest games consoles and games. If that is what makes him happy then who are we to judge? Maybe he does not want to be a great football player. Maybe he just wants to be Jamie Collins with a big bank account that will see him through for the rest of his life.
