"We waited and waited for Kerry Collins to arrive in the media interview room.

I could envision the Titans quarterback taking a Bengay bath to ease the aches and pains of a physical, come-from-behind win over Philadelphia.

Collins is now 37 years old. This is his 16th season in the NFL, his fifth team. His hair is thinning on top and his beard has turned white.

When he came into the league as a first-round draft pick out of Penn State, Collins would be sore on Monday. By Tuesday, the pain would subside. By Wednesday, he was feeling normal and ready for the next game.

"Now it hangs along, a little longer into the week,'' Collins laughed. "It just takes a little bit longer to recover, but I still feel great. I really do.''

In today's game, the physical demands are greater, especially for quarterbacks who serve as targets for opposing defenses.

The Eagles bounced Collins around. It was obvious they knew he was little threat to run. They sacked him three times, intercepted him twice.

Yet he hung in there. He found an invaluable target in Kenny Britt — once Coach Jeff Fisher freed Britt from the doghouse for bad behavior at a downtown club early Friday morning.

Britt smiled when asked about the age difference between Collins and him.

"The old man, one day he told me that when you hear a couple of clicks in your shoulder you know you are ready to go out there and play,'' Britt said with a wide smile. "I guess he felt that in his shoulder because he threw the ball well today.''

Collins passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns, all of them to Britt. The highlight was an 80-yarder that closed the gap to two points.

Now a confirmed backup quarterback, every Collins completion just adds to his resume."