Happy QB’s personal outlet? Writing country songs

Happy QB’s personal outlet? Writing country songs

THOMPSON’S STATION, Tenn. (AP) — Kerry Collins leans forward and pops a compact disc into the player. The Tennessee Titans’ quarterback listens intently to the country demo from someone who is hoping Collins will be a connection to music stardom.

That’s right, the face of Nashville’s NFL franchise is also becoming a player off the field in Music City — someone would-be singers and writers hope can get them an industry hookup.

The hopefuls all seem to have heard: The quarterback turned songwriter is serious about music.

“It’s something I didn’t foresee happening,” said Collins, who has found CDs stashed in his mailbox and had people pass them to him after games.

“I came to Nashville, I never even thought about writing songs and never even thought that that would be something I’d ever have the opportunity to do,” he said. “I started meeting people and had the opportunity to write with some great people, and it just kind of took off from there.”

Though Collins majored in labor and industrial education at Penn State, he has something crucial for any aspiring songwriter: life experience.

He has seen the highs and lows football stardom offers. A top high school recruit, an All-American in college and a new NFL franchise’s first ever draft pick, he’s also been released by that team, struggled with alcoholism, gone from Super Bowl starter to backup and back again to a starting role.

The Titans became his fifth team in 2006, but he found himself backing up Vince Young until taking over the offense late in the 2008 season opener. He led Tennessee to an NFL-best 13-3 record, and the Titans rewarded him with a two-year, $15 million deal on the first day of free agency.

“I get to finish my career out as a Titan,” said Collins, who will turn 37 days before this year’s regular-season finale. “I have a chance to be on a good football team at this stage in my career so it just couldn’t work out any better.”

Collins is enjoying the confidence that comes from being given the starting job. The move has strengthened his relationship with the teammates who watched him achieve an 80.2 passer rating — the third best of his career. He was intercepted only seven times, sacked just eight and moved into 14th all-time in yards passing.

Happily married with a young daughter, Collins likes to hunt back home in North Carolina and has targeted turkey and deer around Tennessee.

He has also been jotting down thoughts and ideas in a notebook for years and needed another outlet outside of football.

Collins got his first crack at songwriting during the 2007 offseason with a couple friends in the music business. His contribution comes through words, not notes.

“It’s something completely different from football, and it taps into a creative side I think I always knew I had but never had an outlet for,” he said.