What Really Hurt Wasn’t Collins’ Injury

Ram linebacker Jim Collins says he would have almost taken a painful, year-ending forearm break instead of the inglorious injury that washed out his 1986 season.

At least then he could have said where it hurt and why. Friends could have signed the cast.

Instead, Collins found himself trying to explain a medical-journal, lab-test nerve injury to his left shoulder.

A typical line of questioning:

Question: Does it hurt?

Answer: No.

Q: Did it ever?

A: No.

Q: Can you lift your arm to put on a sweater?

A: No.

“Even when I hurt it, it didn’t hurt,� he said. “It never hurt.�

Collins seemed embarrassed saying it.

Collins’ left shoulder went limp in the 1986 Pro Bowl in Hawaii, right after he had lowered it into the side of the Raiders’ Marcus Allen.

So much for postseason honors.

The nerve was so pinched that it cut off the charge to the deltoid muscle, the one most linebackers have worked through weights into the shape of an anvil.

It was the numbness that bothered Collins, not the pain. He couldn’t lift his arm over his head to save his life, let alone a touchdown.

In the weeks that followed, the muscles in his left shoulder seemed to melt like ice cream. From behind, Collins looked lopsided. Weight training couldn’t trigger a response. Nothing could.

“I couldn’t even run comfortably,� Collins said. “I had no control of my arm.�

Collins lasted two days in training camp last season and dropped out, lacking only the abilities to tackle and remove his helmet.

July turned to August and August to September, and Collins’ shoulder turned to rust.

“It was so frustrating,� he said. “At least with surgery, there’s some timetable (for recovery). We tried everything in the world. I went to a chiropractor. I went for acupuncture, acupressure. You name it. I was getting letters from people all over the country saying try this and that. But the only thing that was going to help was time.�

It, of course, heals all wounds, even stubborn nerve injuries. Doctors told Collins it might take this long, but maybe he really didn’t want to believe it.

For it wasn’t until last February, almost a year to the day after the Allen wrench, that real progress was made.

And now, five months later, Jim Collins is back. Completely. He proved it the other day when he hoisted a mattress to his shoulder and, using his left arm quite nicely, carried it up two flights of stairs to his room at training camp.

Last year he would have had to call in college movers.

“Now, I can do anything,� Collins said, almost in unbelief. I’ve got full strength. I don’t think it’s going to bother me at all.�

And true, Collins has been going full speed this week, hitting and tackling and loving all the joy that comes with it.

He’s not the only one.

“To me, Jim Collins is back,� Coach John Robinson said. “I know there’ll be some adjustments, but he’ll be 100%. If he isn’t, I’m going to lie.�

Collins, one of the league’s stingiest linebackers against the run, led the Rams in tackles in 1984 and 1985.

The only hangup now seems to be how they’ll work him back into the lineup. Mark Jerue was a virtual no-name until Collins’ injury made him an instant starter. The thing is, Jerue didn’t miss a beat and finished with 109 tackles, second-high on the team behind safety Vince Newsome.

“This year is different because I’ve got to go out and get my job back,� Collins said.

Technically, Collins is listed behind Jerue on all Ram depth charts. Simple football protocol justifies the move.

“Jerue was the last guy to line up last year so he’s the first guy that we’ll line up this year,� Fritz Shurmur, defensive coordinator, said.

Collins, though, is getting equal rotation time with Jerue and inside linebacker Carl Ekern.

And although some think Collins has the inside edge because of the Pro Bowl on his resume, he says that football nature will take its course.

“I feel if I get myself back in top form and play the way I’m capable, I’ll be in the lineup,� Collins said. “That’s the way I look at it.�

He and Jerue remain friends through it all.

“We talk like we normally do,� Collins said. “We don’t talk about our situation. It’s something that’s there and, over time, it has to be dealt with. We can just go out and play and leave it up to the coaches.�

And has there ever been a coach who has had too many good players?

“I don’t know that it’s a battle,� Robinson said. “As you know, I tend to skate around those issues. I think we have three starters. I’d like to have four.�

The litmus test for Collins is reacting in game situations after not facing runaway fullbacks in more than a season. Is Collins worried?

“When you play long enough, it’s like riding a bike,� he said. “Once you get back out there, it’s going to come back. It’s not something you’re going to totally forget.�

What he would gladly forget is the 1986 season. Somehow, holding a clipboard during games didn’t rate very high on his thrill meter.

“There was boredom,� he said, describing his feelings. “You feel out of place. You don’t feel like you’re a part of it. It’s hard to believe how fast you can go from being a part of it to feeling like an outcast. It’s a tough situation. It’s miserable. I hope nothing like that ever happens again.�

Ram Notes

Reached late Wednesday night, Ram cornerback LeRoy Irvin again said he would not comment on his holdout until after he reports to training camp, at which time he will “talk all about it.� . . . The AWOL Irvin, missing since Sunday, is being fined $1,000 a day. Most are expecting Irvin in before the Rams leave for London Sunday. . . . One player who will not be on the plane is holdout tackle Irv Pankey, his agent said Thursday. . . . In a 7-on-7 scrimmage with the San Diego Chargers, quarterback Jim Everett completed 18 of 30 passes for 208 yards. The leading receivers were tight end Jon Embree (5 catches for 61 yards) and Michael Young (3 for 44). Receivers Ron Brown, Chuck Scott and Kevin House did not participate...Coach John Robinson will pare down for the London trip by making some cuts today.