Phil Coale / AP

Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins ranks behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in career yards passing among active quarterbacks.

Collins’ chance came this September in the wake of Young’s sprained knee. After Collins won his first start, Fisher said he would stick with Collins as long as the Titans kept winning.

They haven’t stopped.

“We just felt that he would be a perfect fit for us,” Fisher said of Collins.

Collins has always been limited by a lack of mobility that makes him vulnerable to the pass rush, although he has lost 17 pounds this season and been able to move better than when he was younger. He has been sacked only five times, intercepted just four. While his eight touchdowns may not compare to his gunslinging days, he’s only one away from matching Tennessee’s TD total through the air for all of 2007.

Giants receiver Amani Toomer was Collins’ top receiver in New York and isn’t surprised by the quarterback’s success now.

“He’s a really accurate passer, threw a really good deep ball. Smart. I respected a lot about Kerry and I loved playing with him,” said Toomer, who had five straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons with Collins at quarterback.

Each win brings in more reporters eager to dredge up Collins’ past and see if those scars truly are healed. Collins talks as long as needed and says he knows the questions will keep coming as long as he plays. It’s an easy trade-off to make.

“I’m at peace with my past, and so I guess it’s easier for me to talk about it now,” he said.

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