The Pride of Walpole - Part One

Welcome to Washington Todd make yourself at home

Please join me in congratulating Redskins quarterback Todd Collins for capturing the NFC Player of the Month award for December. Tomorrow Todd Collins leads the 9-7 Redskins against the 10-7 Seahawks in a first round playoff game in Seattle. Today The Curly R begins a three part series on the career of elevated backup and new Washington heartthrob Todd Collins.

Part One: Where Did Todd Come From?
Part Two: Michigan J. Quarterback
Part Three: Playing with House Money

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Todd is right now having that most rare and unique experience, the unheralded backup quarterback that comes in to play and has immediate success. I hope he is enjoying himself whilst he prepares for this week's playoff game at Seattle. Because what is happening to Todd does not happen often.

This is not Aaron Rodgers the future of the Packers QB position coming in for an injured Brett Favre in week 13 and nearly bringing them back to victory over the Cowboys. If Aaron doesn't look good suddenly Packers fans get sweaty palms.

This also isn't Jacksonville fourth round pick Rob Johnson coming in for Mark Brunell in his second season in 1997 and getting franchise money from Buffalo after 28 passes in five games.

We'll come back to Rob in a moment.


Todd Collins was an athletic superstar for the Rebels of Walpole High School in Walpole Massachusetts, just a few miles north of Foxborough and a few miles south of Boston. As a baseball pitcher his junior year in 1988 Todd had a 10-0 record as a right handed pitcher. Also in his junior year Todd led the Rebels basketball squad to the state semifinals with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. As a football player he led the Rebels to a state title in his senior year in 1989 and was a Super Prep All-Star and was named New England High School Player of the Year by the Boston Globe.

Todd left Massachusetts for college to attend the University of Michigan. He redshirted at quarterback as a freshman in 1990 and played sparingly behind Wolverines quarterback Elvis Grbac his redshirt freshman year in 1991. Sophomore year in 1992 he made two starts and junior year in 1993 as the starter he led the Wolverines to an 8-4 record and a Hall of Fame Bowl win over NC State and the number 21 ranking. As a senior starter in 1994 Todd led the Wolverines to 8-4 again, a win in the Holiday Bowl and the number 12 ranking. Todd's Wolverines were the victim of Kordell Stewart's and future Redskin Michael Westbrook's University of Colorado hail mary hookup known as Rocket Left on 24 September 1994.

The Buffalo Bills drafted as an eventual replacement for future Hall of Famer Jim Kelly in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft. He saw action in seven games that year as Jim's backup, starting the final game as Jim sat before the playoffs. In 1996 he again beat out Alex Van Pelt for the number two spot, starting three games, again the Bills went to the playoffs.

Todd's big break was in 1997, Jim Kelly had retired but Marv Levy and his staff were still together and were coming off a playoff year. Todd became the Bills starting quarterback but the team could not continue in Jim Kelly's way and stumbled to 6-10. Todd was a respectable 215 of 391 for 2367 yards 12 TD 13 INT 6.1 average and a 69.5 rating in 14 starts. He was also sacked 39 times.

Marv Levy retired after that season, future Cowboys coach Wade Phillips became head coach and little of the old regime was retained. None of the 1997 Bills quarterbacks was on the 1998 roster as Doug Flutie was signed from the CFL and Rob Johnson was acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars for first and fourth round picks then signed to the largest contract ever for a Bills quarterback and designated the future starter. Rob had started one game in three seasons in Jacksonville and thrown 25 total passes. The team had spent a second round choice on Todd three years earlier and they were taking a pass without finding out if he could really do it, he was cut in 1998 training camp. Of the experience, in the New York Times:

Collins, who became expendable when the team acquired Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie in the off season, said it was obvious to him early on that he was not going to play in Buffalo. "Why they waited three weeks, I don't know," he told The Buffalo News after being let go Sunday. "I was just wasting time learning this offense."

Rob started five games for the Bills in 1998 before injuring his ribs on a Colts sack. Doug won the game in relief and then did not relinquish the starting job, going 7-3 to push the Bills back into the playoffs.

Todd did not even clear waivers before being claimed by the Chiefs and designated the number three quarterback behind starter and former Redskin Rich Gannon and backup and Todd's Michigan predecessor Elvis Grbac.

And that's when he met Al Saunders.


The Pride of Walpole continues tonight with part two, Michigan J. Quarterback.



Other references: Todd Collins NFLPA page, Love of Sports.

Todd Collins: Chris McGrath / Getty Images from here.