Sticking around the NFL for 16 seasons means racking up some nice career numbers, and now Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins is close to passing a couple of the league’s greatest quarterbacks.
Collins needs 13 completions to pass Joe Montana (3,409) for ninth all-time in that category. Collins also has 39,906 yards passing, and with 94 more he becomes the 12th player in NFL history to throw for 40,000 yards in a career. If he throws for 334 yards in the Titans’ final two games, he’ll pass Johnny Unitas (40,239) for 11th overall.
That’s company that impresses Collins’ teammate, Randy Moss.
“Just to see him to be able to reach a milestone accomplishment like that, that’s something he can really hang his hat upon, 40,000, beating Johnny Unitas,” Moss said. “That’s a legendary quarterback, so for him to be in front of Johnny U, that’s saying something.”
Collins already ranks ninth in career attempts with 6,087 passes. Collins said the idea of passing Unitas is cool, but hasn’t really hit him yet.
“I’m just focused on what we’re doing here. Maybe later on down the road I’ll look back and see it as a nice accomplishment. It’s one of those things I just don’t think about a lot,” Collins said.
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GERHART’S CHANCE: Adrian Peterson missed Monday’s game for Minnesota against Chicago because of a badly bruised left thigh, the first time since November 2007 that Peterson was sidelined.
Peterson’s absence has been lost in the shuffle of Brett Favre’s status and the Vikings being eliminated from the playoff chase, but he was on pace for arguably his best season since his record-setting rookie year. Peterson sprained his right ankle last month, and his latest injury occurred when his leg hit quarterback Tarvaris Jackson’s during a botched sequence.
That has given rookie Toby Gerhart an extended opportunity, and the second-round draft pick from Stanford finished with 77 yards on 16 carries in the loss to the Bears.
“Really proud of the way he carried that football,” interim coach Leslie Frazier said. “Wish we could have given it to him even more.”
Gerhart said his first game as the featured back was a fun experience.
“It was a good atmosphere. People were into it,” Gerhart said.
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KID STUFF: The Bengals drafted Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins to improve their woeful pass rush. The rookies are starting to get to the quarterback, one of the few bright spots in Cincinnati’s woeful season.
They’ve even got their own nickname: The Fisher-Price Package.
“We all feed off each other, and that’s why they give our package a nickname,” Dunlap said. “When we’re on the field together, there is a different type of energy.”
With injuries depleting the line, Dunlap, Atkins, second-year end Michael Johnson and third-year tackle Pat Sims have gotten a lot of playing time. The Bengals (3-11) have developed specific pass-rush packages for them, and they’re coming through.
In the last two games, the Bengals have had eight sacks against AFC North rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland. They had only six sacks in the first seven games combined.
“Probably the most positive and productive thing that’s come out of this season is their development,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “They’ll go into the offseason feeling good about themselves.”
Dunlap has been the most impressive of the young bunch. The second-round pick out of Florida has six sacks in the last four games. He has a team-high seven sacks overall, the most by a rookie in the AFC. He’s on pace to become the first rookie to lead the Bengals in sacks since 1990, when linebacker James Francis had eight.
The Bengals thought Dunlap might need time to develop. He’s the youngest player on the team, turning 22 in February.
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LEADING LIONS: The Detroit Lions haven’t had a Pro Bowl player since the 2006 season when receiver Roy Williams earned the recognition. Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said a pair of his players should end the drought.
“I don’t know how you can leave Calvin Johnson off the ballot,” Schwartz said. “I don’t know how you can leave Ndamukong Suh off the ballot. Those are fairly obvious guys.”
Johnson is among NFL leaders with 12 touchdown receptions, 1,068 yards receiving and 73 catches despite facing double-coverage on most plays. Suh has eight sacks, the highest total for a defensive tackle and for any rookie this season, and 55 tackles.
The No. 2 pick in the draft is also a contender for defensive rookie of the year, but insisted the individual honors aren’t a big deal to him.
“I just continue to play hard, that’s all I know how to do,” Suh said. “That’s how I approached it when I was up for all those awards in college. Obviously, they came and I was definitely more than happy to accept them. It’s great to be noticed like that, but those aren’t goals. Goals are to win games and help this organization change.”
Detroit has doubled last season’s win total of two, entering Sunday’s game at Miami, and has ended some dubious streaks this season. The Lions snapped an NFL-record 26-game losing streak on the road last week at Tampa Bay, and a 19-game skid within the division with a win over Green Bay earlier this month in what was the league’s longest such stretch since the merger four decades ago.
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DREAM DRIVE: As a mother, Amanda Davis knows how it feels to see hurt on your child’s face.
The wife of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Leonard Davis and other wives of NFL players pitched in to prevent families in need from experiencing that this holiday season.
“You feel really fortunate to be in this situation and blessed to be able to help out,” said Alicia Bowman, wife of Chicago Bears cornerback Zack Bowman.
The wives’ Off the Field organization shopped for presents as part of The Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program. Ten families around the country received $1,000 worth of food and holiday gifts, including clothes, electronics and toys from Sam’s Club.
“It’s a very humbling event,” said Andrea Hanie, wife of Bears backup quarterback Caleb Hanie. “I just can picture the joy they get to experience.”
Sharena Wilson, wife of Washington Redskins linebacker Chris Wilson, said the experience was especially meaningful because she had known families who struggled to buy gifts for their children when she was growing up.
The “Dream Drive” events were held this year in Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco/Oakland and Washington.
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MOM’S VIEW: Giants backup defensive end Dave Tollefson sprained his right knee making a special teams tackle in the first half of their excruciating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He got an unexpected pep back from his mother, Debra Crocker, at halftime.
Crocker had traveled from California for the game at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford.
“When I went to the locker room to get an X-ray, she was waiting down there when I came out, and she’s like: `What are you doing?’ “ Tollefson said. “I’m like, `Mom, I’m hurt.’
“She’s like, I don’t (care). Get it taped up and get the hell in there. I didn’t fly here from California to watch you ride the pine.’
“I’m like, `Mom, I don’t want to hear it.’
“So I love mom. If you guys (reporters) give her a call and ask her, she’ll probably be saying I should be playing this week.”
Tollefson is expected to be out a couple of weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Tollefson’s 13 special teams tackles are second on the team to Chase Blackburn’s 14. He also has forced fumbles on both defense and special teams.
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AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Rachel Cohen in New York, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Larry Lage in Detroit, Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., and Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this story.
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