"At one point on the road to Super Bowl XXXV - Jim Fassel can't recall exactly when - he had an emotional conversation with Kerry Collins.

"I said, 'Sometimes two people just walk into each other's lives and you really need each other,'" Fassel, the Giants' former coach, said by phone today. "From my standpoint, I'm still looking for another quarterback who can step in and play. He needed somebody he could trust and develop with and all of that. And I walked into his life."

Today, after 16 seasons with five teams, including the past five years with the Titans, Collins walked away from the NFL , saying in a statement his "willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position." From 1999-2003, Collins met the demands of playing the premier position in the biggest market in the NFL.

Though he arguably ranks behind Phil Simms and Eli Manning on the list of all-time Giants quarterbacks and carries the 34-7 loss to the Ravens in the Super Bowl on his résumé, Collins was an elite passer (16,875 yards and 81 touchdowns as a Giant) for a team that badly needed one after five years of mediocrity with Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox and Danny Kanell. And he was a humble, contrite player who overcame alcoholism to rebuild his career and lead the franchise that gave him a second chance to the Super Bowl.

Which is why Collins' time with the Giants was recalled fondly by those who worked closely with him."