Accorsi was right, too. And so was Collins, who now leads a model life. At the end of his second year, he was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league. Steinberg recalled wins against San Francisco and Dallas. They asked him to let loose in the passing game, just like the Giants did.
People cross paths, and a star is born.
In analyzing Collins two years ago, Accorsi remembered scouting a Penn State-Illinois game. And that was against an Illinois team with Simeon Rice and Kevin Hardy, with a national title on the line. Accorsi grew up in Hershey, Pa., not far from Lebanon, Collins' home town. Over the years, Accorsi has been involved in many quarterback deals. But not the John Elway deal when he worked in Baltimore.