All Kerry Collins did this past season was quarterback Penn State to a 12-0 record, lead the nation in pass efficiency and win the Maxwell Club Award as the top college football player in America.
So what's the hitch?
That's what Collins wants to know.
Ever since last month when he played at the Senior Bowl, Collins has heard his NFL stock is going down. It seems some scouts detected a flaw in his passing motion.
A hitch, they call it.
"I never heard about it until a month ago," Collins said yesterday as he visited Philadelphia to accept his Maxwell Club Award. "My (pro) stock was way up and all of a sudden someone found this hitch and now everyone is up in arms.
"I don't take it to heart. I've talked to a number of scouts who said, 'Don't listen to that. You throw the ball really well.' There will always be a difference in opinion (among scouts). I'm not going to worry about it."
Collins was curious enough to look at some film on his throwing motion. He saw the same sweeping, overhand delivery he has used since his high school days in West Lawn, Pa.
"I know what (the scouts) are referring to," said Collins, who at 6-5 and 235 pounds has a wider throwing arc that most quarterbacks. "I throw the football a lot like a baseball. There is something else in (the motion) that a conventional quarterback might not have. But it doesn't slow the release.
"I got this far throwing one way so I'm not going to change. It goes back to the saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I'm not going to change what I've done my whole life."
This is not to suggest Collins's stock has crashed. He still is a lock to be selected early in the first round of next month's draft, but he may not be the first quarterback chosen. It appears Steve McNair of Alcorn State has moved past Collins in the eyes of many scouts.
The 6-2, 220-pound McNair was impressive in the postseason all-star games, proving himself against Division I competition. He also was one of the few blue-chip quarterbacks to throw at the combine workouts in Indianapolis.
Other top quarterbacks, including Collins, took physicals and written tests but chose not to work out on the field.
In Collins's case, he was not in top shape, having spent the past month flying around the country, accepting awards. He scheduled two private workouts for pro scouts next month at Penn State. He expects to solidify his position as a top 10 pick in those workouts.
