Tuesday included two moments that free safety Nick Collins will likely remember for the rest of his life.
He and his wife, Andrea, were at a local hospital for an ultrasound, finding out that they will be having their second son this spring, when a phone call came with some more good news. It was Packers secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer, calling to let Collins know that he had been selected to start in the Pro Bowl.
It is the first Pro Bowl selection for the fourth-year safety, and Collins becomes the first Packers safety to earn Pro Bowl recognition since Darren Sharper in 2002. Collins is tied with two teammates, cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, and Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall for the NFC lead with a career-high five interceptions, trailing only Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu (7) for the league lead.
Collins leads the NFL with 230 interception return yards, the third-most in franchise history, trailing only Sharper (233 in 2002) and Bobby Dillon (244 in 1956). He is the only player in the league to have three interceptions for touchdowns, and is the first NFL safety to accomplish that feat since Kansas City's Lloyd Burruss in 1986. Collins ranks second on the team with 93 tackles, just 10 shy of a new career high with two games remaining.
"It was just a dream come true and a blessing," Collins said. "This is my fourth season here and I've been waiting all of this time just to get the opportunity to get a chance to go to Hawaii, and it's finally here.
"Every football player, that's one of their goals, to make it to Hawaii. Fortunately I am able to do that this year and represent the NFC as a safety and the Green Bay Packers. I'm just going to go over there and have fun."
The honor places Collins in some pretty select company in team history. Since Hall of Fame safety Willie Wood earned his eighth and final Pro Bowl selection with Green Bay in 1970, only three other Packers safeties have been named to the Pro Bowl (Sharper, LeRoy Butler, Chuck Cecil). Coincidentally enough, Sharper (2000) and Butler (1993) each earned their first trip to the Pro Bowl in their fourth season, just like Collins.
Collins was coming off of a frustrating 2007 campaign that saw him post a career-low 62 tackles, six passes defensed and no interceptions. He was sidelined with a knee injury for three games last November and also dealt with a nagging back issue after not missing a game in his first two seasons.
While looking to bounce back from his most challenging season as a pro, Collins said his focus was not on making the Pro Bowl.
"I really wasn't thinking about it," Collins said. "You just play and do what you have to do and things will work out for you. That was my main goal, just to go out there and do what I could do to help this team win and go from there."
Collins got off to a fast start in '08, returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown in Green Bay's 48-25 win at Detroit in Week 2. He followed that up with an interception in each of the next two games, vs. Dallas and at Tampa Bay, playing through a back injury sustained in the third quarter against the Cowboys.
Collins returned another pick for a score in Green Bay's Week 7 win vs. Indianapolis, this time a career-long 62-yarder off of perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning. Collins also posted a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown at Minnesota in Week 10.
{sportsad300}Collins has credited Woodson for helping him develop a more detailed approach to film study that contributed to Collins' on-field success this season, and now the tandem will both be heading to the Pro Bowl as starters for the NFC. The last time the Packers had two members of the secondary earn Pro Bowl honors came in 1974, when cornerbacks Willie Buchanon and Ken Ellis were selected.
"I'm very happy (for Nick)," Woodson said. "When you look at the year he's had, it's been incredible for him. He's well-deserving and he worked hard for it. He's definitely one of the best players on our defense and on our team as well. I'm happy for him. It's a good honor for him."
Although the honor is a great individual accomplishment, Collins admitted the recognition would mean a little more if it came as a member of a winning team preparing for the playoffs.
"Our goals as a team were to make the playoffs and make a run to the Super Bowl, and we fell short this year," Collins said. "At the same time, it's a great individual reward, but I'm a team player. I feel bad for the other guys but we're just going to finish this season strong these last two games."
