Landon Collins is aiming way higher than another Pro Bowl
Landon Collins doesn’t consider last season a career year. He said he believes it merely was a starting point for what he hopes is an unforgettable career.
The third-year Giants safety is setting his hopes high — Canton high.
“My ultimate goal is to wear that gold [Hall of Fame] jacket at the end of the day,” he said Wednesday after the second of three minicamp practices.
A year after becoming the first Giants rookie to start all 16 games in nine years (Barry Cofield did it in 2006), Collins was a first-team All-Pro last season. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 100 solo tackles, two sacks, five interceptions and 12 passes defended in a single season. He also finished third in the voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, behind winner Khalil Mack and runner-up Von Miller.
But Collins, who ranked No. 28 on the NFL Network’s top 100 players list, isn’t talking about 2016 as if it was a magical campaign. He sees plenty of room for improvement, particularly in his ability to read plays faster than he previously has.
“Landon is one of those guys, I don’t believe he rests on his laurels,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “He’s always coming to me. I don’t have to chase him.”
Collins, 23, also wants to play this season at 210 pounds — which would be his lowest weight since his freshman year of college. He currently is between 218 and 220 pounds after playing at 215 last season.
“If I keep my weight down, I can fly,” Collins said. “Being able to run around the field and make plays, that’s the biggest thing.”
Collins is close with Seahawks five-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas — they share an agent, David Mulugheta — and Collins will be attending Thomas’ football camp for kids next week in Texas. He has told Thomas he is coming after his crown as one of the best safeties in the league.
Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said he believes Collins already is “close” to being there, and he expects even more out of him this year.
“It is his [third] year, so you can only go up. The first year he came in and moved himself along, second year he took off, and now I think in the third year he is going to thrive in that role,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “You look at safeties — he covers, he tackles, he is a general and leads. He can play this position, that position, he is not just a strong safety, but he is everywhere, so he is definitely one of the best.”