Friday, January 3, 1997

Collins anxious to prove he can shine in playoffs

By JOE MACENKA / AP Sports Writer (Jan. 3, 1997)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - He has led the Carolina Panthers to a 12-4 record and the NFC West title, yet Kerry Collins still is asked repeatedly whether he's up to the challenge of being a playoff quarterback.

His tone suggests he's ready for another question.

"I know there's a lot riding on this game," Collins told one inquisitive out-of-town broadcaster Thursday. "I just turned 24, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck sitting outside."

Collins is the most visible of the 27 Panthers who will be making their first postseason appearance in Sunday's NFC game against the Dallas Cowboys, winners of three of the last four Super Bowls.

Collins has a 16-9 record as Carolina's starting quarterback, including 9-3 this season. Those numbers have gotten the attention of the Cowboys.

"I've always recognized talent over youth," Dallas coach Barry Switzer said. "People get into this about, 'Well, he's never been in a playoff game.' Hey, he's been in big games. I don't care how young you are."

After starting 13 games last season and experiencing the typical ups and downs of a rookie, Collins has exhibited steady improvement this season. He has gone from 19 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 61.9 in 1995 to nine interceptions and a 79.4 rating this season.

He had his best game last month against San Francisco, throwing for 327 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 30-24 victory that vaulted the Panthers past the 49ers for the division lead.

Even with that performance, Collins still comes under fire from some Carolina fans because he fails to produce big passing numbers on a consistent basis. But the Panthers say that's by design; their offensive philosophy is to establish the rushing game first and augment it with a conservative passing attack.

"Kerry does exactly what we want him to do," coach Dom Capers said. "We're very pleased with his progress. He's right where we expected him to be."

Collins has completed 56 percent of his passes this season for 2,454 yards - an average of 204.5 yards per start.

"This offense isn't about 300-yard passing games," Collins said. "A good game for me is something like 19-for-33 or 19-for-34 or something like that - a high percentage, no interceptions, a touchdown or two and maybe close to 200 yards. That's the kind of offense we have. I'm not going to throw for 300 yards every game. And if I was, then this offense isn't playing the way we should be."

The Panthers are 8-0 at Ericsson Stadium, and Collins has been at the helm for seven of those games. He missed the Sept. 22 victory over San Francisco with a sprained knee.

Collins expects Sunday's contest to be his most difficult test yet because of the presence of Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders.

"He causes a lot of problems for you," Collins said. "He basically takes away a whole side of the field, that's how good he is. We have a couple things we might try and do against him, but there's not too much. It's just tough. He's such a good corner that we're not going to go in there thinking we're going to try and challenge him too much."

So, don't expect a 300-yard game from Collins.

"I'm at the point where I just want Sunday to get here," he said. "I want to get beyond all the questions and show what I can do."