.JPG) Collins with theNew England Patriots in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina Tar Heels | |||||||||||||||||
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| Title | Inside linebackers coach | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-10-20)October 20, 1989 (age 36) McCall Creek, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Franklin County(Meadville, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Southern Miss (2009–2012) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2013: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Jamie Lee Collins Sr. (born October 20, 1989) is an Americanfootball coach and former professionallinebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for theNorth Carolina Tar Heels. He played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with theNew England Patriots. Collins playedcollege football for theSouthern Miss Golden Eagles, receiving first-team All-C-USA honors in 2012, and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the2013 NFL draft. As a member of the Patriots for seven non-consecutive seasons, Collins earnedPro Bowl and second-teamAll-Pro honors in 2015 when he led the league in forced fumbles and also wonSuper Bowl XLIX. Outside of his New England tenure, he played three seasons with theCleveland Browns and two with theDetroit Lions.
Collins was born inMcCall Creek, Mississippi. He attended Franklin County High School inMeadville, Mississippi, where he playedhigh school football for the Franklin County Bulldogs. He first played as a quarterback, receiver and safety before concluding his career as a quarterback and outside linebacker. He led the team to the Class 3A State Championship during his first year at quarterback, accounting for over 2,000 yards of offense and 26touchdowns for the 2006 season. As a senior in 2007, he had over 1,200 yards rushing and 1,000 yards passing while leading his team to the state championship game. He was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game, where he recorded a solo tackle.
Also, a standouttrack and field athlete, Collins was a state track qualifier. At the 2009 3A South State Meet, he earned first-place finishes in the shot put (51–6) anddiscus throw (156–0 or 47.80m), while also placing second in both thehigh jump (6–4 or 1.93m) and triple jump (43–10.5) events.[1] He captured the 2009 MHSAA (Mississippi High School Athletics Association) 3Ashot put title with a throw of 15.90 meters (52–1), and also took third in thetriple jump after recording a career-best leap of 13.58m (44–5.25).[2]
A three-star athlete by Rivals.com, Collins was ranked No. 68 at that[which?] position in the country and No. 21 overall in the state ofMississippi. He was a three-star prospect byScout.com. He was named 1st team All-State byThe Clarion-Ledger. He was Max Lemming's of MaxPreps.com's No. 12 combo passer in the country.
Collins enrolled in theUniversity of Southern Mississippi and played for theSouthern Miss Golden Eagles football team from 2009 to 2012. He playeddefensive back,defensive end andlinebacker. During his college career, he compiled 314tackles, 21quarterback sacks, threeinterceptions and threetouchdowns. He was a first-team All-Conference USA selection following his senior season in 2012.
Collins entered the 2013 NFL Draft and attended theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana. He completed all of the combine and positional drills and immensely helped his draft stock with his overall performance. Collins set an NFL Combine record by finishing with a broad jump of 11'7". The record was previously 11'5" which was set by running backJustin Fargas in the 2003 NFL combine. Collins held the record until it was broken by cornerbackByron Jones in2015 (12'3") and was also surpassed byObi Melifonwu in2017 (11'9").[3] He also finished with the second best vertical jump at the combine, fourth best short shuttle among edge rushers, and eighth best 40-yard dash time among pass rushers at the combine.[4]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Jamie Collins' NFL Combine Workout |
On March 8, 2013, Collins participated at Southern Mississippi's pro day but opted to stand on his combine performance and only performed positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, he was projected to be a second-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. Collins was ranked as the third best outside linebacker by NFL analystMike Mayock, the fifth best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Josh Norris, and was ranked the sixth best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.[5][6][7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) | 250 lb (113 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.64 s | 1.64 s | 2.72 s | 4.32 s | 7.10 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 11 ft 7 in (3.53 m) | 19 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
TheNew England Patriots selected Collins in the second round (52nd overall) of the2013 NFL draft.[10] Collins was the seventh linebacker drafted in 2013.[11]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Patriots draft Collins 52nd overall |
On May 17, 2013, the Patriots signed Collins to a four-year,$3.75 millioncontract that includes $1.86 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $1.11 million.[12][13]
Collins entered training camp as a backup outside linebacker. Head coachBill Belichick named Collins a backup outside linebacker to start the regular season, behind startersDont'a Hightower andJerod Mayo.[14]
He made his professional regular season debut in theNew England Patriots' season-opening 23–21 victory at theBuffalo Bills. On September 22, 2013, Collins made two combined tackles during a 23–3 win against theTampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. Collins made his first career tackle on running backDoug Martin to stop a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.[15] On October 20, 2013, Collins earned his first career start after Jerod Mayo sustained a tear to his pectoral muscle the previous week.[16] Collins recorded five combined tackles in his first start as the Patriots lost 30–27 to theNew York Jets in Week 7. In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) during a 34–31 win against theDenver Broncos.[17] Collins finished his rookie season in2013 with 43 combined tackles (24 solo) and four pass deflections in 16 games and eight starts.[18]
The New England Patriots finished first in the AFC East with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye. On January 11, 2014, Collins started in his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles, a pass deflection, made his first career sack, and recorded his first career interception as the Patriots defeated theIndianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round.[17] The following week, he made seven combined tackles and deflected a pass in a 26–16 loss to theDenver Broncos in theAFC Championship Game.[17]
Collins entered training camp slated as the starting weakside linebacker after Jerod Mayo was moved to middle linebacker, following his return from injury, to replaceBrandon Spikes. Head coach Bill Belichick named Collins andDont'a Hightower the starting outside linebackers to begin the regular season.[19]
Collins started in theNew England Patriots' season-opener at theMiami Dolphins and recorded a season-high eight solo tackles and deflected a pass in their 33–20 loss. He was inactive for the Patriots' Week 2 victory at theMinnesota Vikings after sustaining a thigh injury.[20] On October 12, 2014, Collins made four combined tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career regular season interception during a 37–22 victory at theBuffalo Bills. Collins intercepted a pass by quarterbackKyle Orton, that was initially intended for wide receiverMarquise Goodwin, in the second quarter.[21] The following week, he collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (seven solo) in the Patriots' 27–25 win against theNew York Jets in Week 7.[22] On November 30, 2014, Collins tied his season-high of 13 combined tackles (seven solo), recorded his first career regular season sack, and forced a fumble during a 26–21 loss at theGreen Bay Packers. Collins recorded a strip/sack for a six-yard loss on quarterbackAaron Rodgers during the fourth quarter.[23] The following game, Collins made nine combined tackles and had two sacks on quarterbackPhilip Rivers as the Patriots earned a 23–14 victory at theSan Diego Chargers in Week 14.[22] He finished the2014 season with a career-high 116 combined tackles (74 solo), four sacks, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts.[18] Collins earned an overall grade of 87.9 from Pro Football Focus in 2014 and received the 11th highest grade of all the linebackers who qualified in 2014.[24]
The New England Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. On January 10, 2015, Collins made 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and deflected two passes during a 35–31 victory against theBaltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.[22] The following week, he made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception as the Patriots defeated theIndianapolis Colts 45–7 in the AFC Championship Game.[22] On February 1, 2015, Collins recorded eight combined tackles as the Patriots defeated theSeattle Seahawks 28–24 inSuper Bowl XLIX.[22]
Collins, Dont'a Hightower, and Jerod Mayo were retained as the starting linebackers to start the 2015 regular season.[25] In Week 2, Collins recorded 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and made a career-high 2.5 sacks on quarterbackTyrod Taylor during a 40–32 victory at theBuffalo Bills.[26]On October 18, 2015, Collins made five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and blocked an extra point during the Patriots' 34–27 win at theIndianapolis Colts. Collins blocked an extra point byAdam Vinatieri in the fourth quarter after leaping over the offensive line.[27] The following week, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (six solo) and a sack in the Patriots' 30–23 win against theNew York Jets.[28] On November 6, 2015, it was reported that Collins was diagnosed with an undisclosed illness and was sidelined for the next four games (Weeks 9–12).[29] On December 4, 2015, Collins confirmed he was fully recovered from his illness.[30] On December 22, 2015, Collins was selected to the2016 Pro Bowl as his first Pro Bowl selection.[31] On December 27, 2015, Collins recorded eight combined tackles and returned a fumble for his first career touchdown during a 26–20 loss at the New York Jets. Collins recovered a fumble afterJabaal Sheard stripped it from Jets' quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick and returned it for a 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter.[32] Collins was limited to 12 games in2015 and made 89 combined tackles (51 solo), six pass deflections, a career-high 5.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, one interception, and a touchdown.[18] He was selected to the2015 AP All-Pro second team at outside linebacker, finishing fourth at that position with eight votes; he also received two votes at inside linebacker.[33] He earned an overall grade of 91.3 fromPro Football Focus, which was the fourth highest grade among all qualifying linebackers in 2015.[34]
TheNew England Patriots finished first in their division with a 12–4 record and clinched a playoff berth. They defeated theKansas City Chiefs 27–20 in the AFC Divisional Round. On January 24, 2016, Collins recorded eight combined tackles and had two sacks on quarterbackPeyton Manning as the Patriots lost 20–18 at theDenver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.[28]
Defensive coordinatorMatt Patricia named Collins andJonathan Freeny the starting outside linebackers, alongside starting middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower.[35] On September 22, 2016, Collins recorded 14 combined tackles (eight solo), a pass deflection, and an interception during a 27–0 win against theHouston Texans in Week 3. Collins was inactive during a Week 6 victory against theCincinnati Bengals due to a hip injury.[36]
On October 31, 2016, Collins was traded to theCleveland Browns for a compensatory 2017 third round draft selection. The selection was later traded to theNew Orleans Saints forBrandin Cooks and used onTrey Hendrickson.[37][38][39] Head coachHue Jackson named Collins a starting outside linebacker oppositeCam Johnson and alongside inside linebackersDemario Davis andChristian Kirksey.[40]
On November 6, 2016, Collins made his debut with the Cleveland Browns and recorded eight combined tackles during their 35–10 loss to theDallas Cowboys in Week 9. On December 11, 2016, Collins collected a season-high 15 combined tackles (13 solo) and a sack in the Browns' 25–10 loss to theCincinnati Bengals.[41] He finished the2016 season with a total of 112 combined tackles (79 solo), three passes defensed, three sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 15 games and 14 starts.[18] Pro Football Focus gave Collins an overall grade of 88.6, which ranked seventh among all qualifying linebackers in 2016.[24]
On January 8, 2017, the Cleveland Browns fired defensive coordinatorRay Horton after they finished with a 1–15 record in 2016.[42] On January 23, 2017, the Cleveland Browns signed Collins to a four-year, $50 million contract with $26.40 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5 million.[13][43][44]
The Cleveland Browns hiredGregg Williams as their new defensive coordinator and installed a base4-3 defense. Head coach Hue Jackson named Collins the starting strongside linebacker to begin the regular season, along withChristian Kirksey and starting middle linebackerJoe Schobert.[45] On September 17, 2017, Collins collected a season-high seven solo tackles before exiting in the fourth quarter of the Browns' 24–10 loss at theBaltimore Ravens due to aconcussion. Collins was inactive and remained in concussion protocol for the next three games (Weeks 3–5).[46] In Week 6, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 33–17 loss at theHouston Texans. On November 12, 2017, Collins made a tackle, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterbackMatthew Stafford in the Browns' 38–24 loss at theDetroit Lions.[47] Collins left the game in the first quarter after he sustained an injury to his right knee that occurred when he was tackled byGraham Glasgow while returning his interception.[48] On November 14, 2017, the Cleveland Browns officially placed Collins oninjured reserve due to his torn MCL.[49] Collins finished the2017 season with 31 combined tackles (21 solo), three pass deflections, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception in six games and six starts.[18]Pro Football Focus gave Collins an overall grade of 35.9, which ranked 82nd among all qualifying linebackers in 2017.[50]
In 2018, Collins recorded 104 tackles, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in sixteen games and sixteen starts. He would collect a season-high 12 tackles, including a sack, in a 12–9 win over the Baltimore Ravens. He recorded an interception in a 26–23 loss over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He forced a fumble in an 18–33 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pro Football Focus gave him a 62.3 overall grade in 2018.
Collins was released by the Browns on March 6, 2019.[51]
On May 15, 2019, Collins re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal.[52]
In week 2 against theMiami Dolphins, Collins made 5 tackles, half a sack, and 2 interceptions in the 43–0 win. On Collins' first interception, he picked off a pass fromRyan Fitzpatrick that was bobbled in the hands of running backKalen Ballage and returned it for a 69-yard touchdown. Collins made his second interception offJosh Rosen as time expired in the game.[53]In week 3 against theNew York Jets, Collins sackedLuke Falk twice as the Patriots won 30–14.[54]In week 4 against theBuffalo Bills, Collins sackedJosh Allen once and interceptedMatt Barkley late in the fourth quarter to seal a 16–10 win for the Patriots.[55]In week 6 against theNew York Giants, Collins forced a fumble on running backJon Hilliman that was recovered by teammateKyle Van Noy who returned the ball for a touchdown in the 35–14 win.[56]In week 8 against his former team, theCleveland Browns, Collins recorded a team high 13 tackles and sackedBaker Mayfield 1.5 times in the 27–13 win.[57]
On March 25, 2020, Collins signed a three-year, $30 million contract with theDetroit Lions.[58][59] Collins reunited with former New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator and Detroit Lions head coachMatt Patricia and teammatesDuron Harmon andDanny Shelton.[60]
On September 13, 2020, Collins was ejected after making contact with a referee after a play during the second quarter of a 27–23 loss to theChicago Bears.[61]In the following week's game against theGreen Bay Packers, Collins recorded his first sack as a Lion onAaron Rodgers during the 42–21 loss.[62]In Week 3 against theArizona Cardinals, Collins recorded his first interception as a Lion during the 26–23 win.[63]
On September 28, 2021, Collins was released by the Lions after attempts to trade him had failed.[64]
The Patriots re-signed Collins on October 6, 2021.[65] Collins made his third debut for the Patriots in the week 5 match against theHouston Texans. He recorded a sack of Texans quarterbackDavis Mills during a 25–22 road victory for the Patriots.[66] He was placed on injured reserve on November 13.[67] He was activated on December 6.[68] Collins re-signed with the Patriots on October 3, 2022, to the practice squad.[69]
On October 6, 2023, Collins announced his retirement from the NFL.[70]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2013 | NE | 16 | 8 | 43 | 24 | 19 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | NE | 15 | 15 | 116 | 74 | 42 | 4.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2015 | NE | 12 | 12 | 89 | 51 | 38 | 5.5 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 51 | 51.0 | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016 | NE | 7 | 6 | 43 | 31 | 12 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 18 | 0 | 3 |
| CLE | 8 | 8 | 69 | 48 | 21 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | CLE | 6 | 6 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 104 | 73 | 31 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | NE | 16 | 15 | 81 | 58 | 23 | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 85 | 28.3 | 69T | 1 | 7 |
| 2020 | DET | 14 | 14 | 101 | 55 | 46 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021 | DET | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NE | 10 | 2 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 2022 | NE | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 125 | 105 | 708 | 455 | 253 | 26.5 | 19 | 8 | 17 | 12 | 169 | 14.1 | 69 | 1 | 39 | |
Media related toJamie Collins (American football) at Wikimedia Commons