Collins unretires, joins Colts

Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins has decided to put his retirement on hold, agreeing to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts are wondering if Peyton Manning will be ready for the start of the regular season after a neck problem that required surgery in the off-season.
Collins had told reporters that he was retiring in the off-season, just before the lockout ended and would be spending time with family and pursuing his songwriting career.

“It is a good opportunity to have Kerry become part of the team,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said in a release. “He is a veteran quarterback who has started many games and he brings dimension and depth to the quarterback position, which will be helpful. He is familiar with our division and will make a great addition to our roster.”

However, Collins now finds himself potentially in a similar situation to what he did when he joined the Titans in 2006 – coming in as perhaps the starting quarterback after training camp has ended with only about three weeks to learn the offense.

In '06, Collins joined the Titans as they were unhappy with Billy Volek as their starter. Collins started the first three games of that season, before owner Bud Adams stepped in and ordered then-Coach Jeff Fisher to start rookie Vince Young.

The signing of Collins indicates that Manning, who has made 208 consecutive starts at quarterback, the longest streak among active players might not be ready to go on Sept. 11 when the Colts open with Houston.

Collins did not immediately return a call from TitanInsider seeking comment.

When he spoke to Titans beat writers, including TitanInsider, in July, he was asked if he might rethink his plans on retirement and said at the time, "It's not gonna happen."

For his career, Collins has thrown for 40,441 yards with 206 touchdown passes and 195 interceptions.

Titans coach Mike Munchak said he believed Collins can still play and said he was surprised by his retirement in the first place, not that he returned.

"He's a guy I thought could still play. When I heard he retired, we were surprised for that reason," Munchak said. "The Colts had a close-up view of his last game where he passed for almost 300 yards on them. I think they knew how good he still was, how he could make the throws and how he was a smart player. So I think they saw that."