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.