Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 17, 1995 TAG: 9507180134
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: SPARTANBURG, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
It will take him awhile.
Collins had a lot of good reasons to reach the Carolina Panthers' training camp in time for Sunday's first workout at Wofford College - about 21.6 million of them.
``I feel like the most fortunate person on this earth,'' the rookie quarterback from Penn State said after he had taken the first snap - at about 9:20 a.m. - in the Panthers' first drill.
Collins wasn't referring to the welcome opportunity he had to take a shower after the steamy workout session. He was discussing the contract he signed Saturday night, the one with the richest bonus in NFL history.
``Do I know all the details? No,'' Collins said. ``But I do have a very good understanding of what's there.''
What's there is a $7 million signing bonus now, and perhaps a $6 million bonus before the 1998 season. The six-year contract is worth $21.588 million, including a three-year ``buy-back'' option for the Panthers.
``If I'm not producing after three years, I don't deserve it,'' said Collins, who was made the Panthers' quarterback of the future when he became the No.5 pick in the NFL draft in April.
This season, Collins will be paid a base salary of exactly $632,799.48. But really, who's counting?
``I think my brother is figuring on getting something from me,'' Collins said with a grin. ``He's already bought a car. I bought a Toyota Land Cruiser a while back, but I had the payments deferred. I have a little more money now than I did.''
While his deal is much like the one signed last year by Washington rookie quarterback Heath Shuler, Collins isn't expected to start. The Panthers have NFL veterans Frank Reich and Jack Trudeau fighting that battle.
``I think I'm being very realistic about setting goals,'' Collins said. ``I'm just going to try to get better. I'm not being asked to be the leader of the offense right away.
``When you sign a contract like that, though, there are expectations, and I know that. A guy in my situation can't set the world on fire. Like someone said, `Rome wasn't built in a day.'''
However, Collins is the 6-foot-5, 240-pound pillar around whom Carolina wants to build the franchise. He already is the highest-paid Panther, eclipsing the five-year, $13.5 million deal given to Houston free-agent linebacker Lamar Lathon.
Dom Capers, the Panthers' coach, said Collins will get more repetitions in camp than most quarterbacks who figure to be third-stringers, because the expansion team is likely to play its rookie if and when a game becomes lopsided.
After arriving in town Saturday night and signing, Collins stepped quietly into a team meeting on campus. He sat in the back of the room and just listened.
That's about the least conspicuous Collins will be in his pro football career. He got a rush from the media Sunday the likes of which he'll see from guys like Reggie White and Bruce Smith on future Sundays.
``I was sitting there in the locker room this morning, looking around and I said, `I can't believe this,''' said Collins, whose NFL prospects soared during the Nittany Lions' perfect 1994 season. ``Then, Jack Trudeau pinched me.''
Collins also plans to establish a foundation in his name to aid disadvantaged children and fund other charities in the Carolinas. He'll contribute $1 million over six years to that cause.
He will endow a Penn State scholarship with another $150,000. He also plans to deliver funds for scholarships or a field house at another of his educational stops, Wilson High School in Reading, Pa.
Western Pennsylvania is known for its football, and in particular NFL quarterback greats such as Joe Namath, George Blanda, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. But what about the other side of that commonwealth?
``Reading is best known for, well ... I guess mostly basketball players,'' Collins said. ``In football, it would probably be running backs. [Pro Football Hall of Famer] Lenny Moore was from Reading. Maybe I can be a role model for quarterbacks there.''
Until Collins gets the opportunity he knows will come, his only guarantee is his signing bonus. He may be a millionaire at 22, but he's still living in a college dorm room for now.
Asked to evaluate his first day in camp, Collins recalled he had worn shoulder pads for the first time since the Rose Bowl and chose a word beginning with ``r.''
``I was rusty,'' he said candidly.
And he knows how he will be described by his new and teasing teammates. They already sound just like a TV commercial.
Kerry is so very ... rich.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB