Aug 062003
 
Q&A: Quarterback Kerry Collins

Interview Conducted by BigBlueInteractive.com Reporter WalterB

BBI: You seem to have found a real good groove at the end of last year and now during training camp. What do you attribute it to?

Kerry Collins: There are lots of things. I think first I have a lot of good players around me. They make my job easy a lot of times. I also feel more comfortable. I also feel we got a lot of guys on offense, a real good group, who have been getting open.

BBI: You seem to have been running a packed offense today (referring to the scrimmage). Do you prefer to run out of this offense? Or, do you prefer to run more of a spread offense?

Kerry Collins: I am very comfortable with both. We used the spread last year and it was good to us. Today I think we wanted to run the ball a little bit. We had two backs in a lot because we have some receivers who were out, and we did not want to go three wide receivers. So that is why you saw that and the two tight end formations.

BBI: Is the spread hard to put in during the preseason?

Kerry Collins: Yeah it is, because a base offense is going to be out of your two wide receiver sets. Nine times out of ten you are going to work on that earlier in training camp compared to the spread and some of the other things we are doing. So, that does take time especially since we have some new wrinkles in there that we are doing.

BBI: Your offensive got pretty hot at the middle and end of last year. Were defenses adjusting to your offense after a certain point in time? Once the offense was really rolling and putting up a lot of points, did you notice defenses that you were playing doing major adjustments?

Kerry Collins: I know they tried a lot of different things. They tried to take Jeremy away. We would be able to go to Amani, go outside somewhere, but I think defenses played us a lot more honest because we had all the wheels rolling at that time.

BBI: By honest, you mean that they would take fewer chances?

Kerry Collins: Yeah, you wouldn’t see a ton of just single coverages. They would have to account for Jeremy. They would have to account for Amani, they would have to account for the run too with Tiki, so we saw a good mix of coverages in the defenses last year, maybe more so than earlier on.

BBI: Was it more zone, or more man or mixed up to the point where they were just playing anything to stop you guys?

Kerry Collins: It was a pretty decent mix: man, zone. free safety, double safety, the whole deal.

BBI: What is your opinion of what a second fast tight end or a third fast tight end, or even a fourth fast tight end on the roster can do to open up the offense even more?

Kerry Collins: If we try to work the middle of the field and they are doubling Jeremy, it could definitely open up something for another tight end. We use a lot of two tight end formations and to have another guy to run and catch the ball. For example, Dan Campbell last year. We called 25-30 balls, which is a good year for him. He was very effective for us.

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