FOXBORO, Mass. — New Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins is a Mississippi boy at heart, and he’s got some big Mississippi ties — so big, in fact, that they even extend to future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.
Collins has spent his entire life in Mississippi, growing up in McCall Creek and deciding to stay home to play college football at Southern Mississippi. Collins’ Mississippi connections go even higher than that, though. He’s actually quite friendly with Favre, a local legend, and the two have gone fishing together.
“It was pretty cool going out there with Brett Favre,” Collins said after being drafted by the Patriots this weekend. “He’s a nice guy. I’m a big fisherman, coming from down here in the country. I just try to do stuff like that to keep me out of the streets or doing some other stuff. I just do stuff like that to keep me occupied. Fishing is one of my hobbies. I love fishing.”
Collins also shares an agent with Favre, and he and Favre talk from time to time. With Collins having never faced draft weekend before, Favre reached out with some advice.
“He texted me a couple weeks ago, maybe two weeks ago,” Collins said. “He was telling me about the whole process and stuff like that. Bus Cook, my agent, that was his agent, so we just talked. I’m just trying to get the scoop on how things go.”
In the end, everything seemed to work out fine for Collins on draft night. The Patriots selected him in the second round on Friday night, and from the sounds of it, Bill Belichick has some lofty expectations for the versatile defender.
Having a future Hall of Famer like Favre in his corner can only help that quest.
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Photo via College Press Box
