Collins Ready to Learn From Last Year's Mistakes
To say Zaven Collins had a challenging rookie year would be an understatement. The Arizona Cardinals first-round draft pick went from a projected starting role to an inconsistent participant on the field.
That is set to change this season for the 23-year-old inside linebacker. With the departure of Jordan Hicks, Collins is under pressure to take a large leap this season and take over the starting role as the Cardinals MIKE linebacker, a role that will require him to be the quarterback of the defense.
In order to be ready this season, Collins has emphasized fine-tuning his own play-style while also learning from the mistakes he made last season.
“Last year didn’t go as everyone wanted but, that's part of life,” Collins said during the team's minicamp. “Just learning from those mistakes, applying them to now, and trying to get better, which I have. I think I’ve done a really good job in some of the areas that I’ve messed up as far as mental errors.”
Collins' journey in the NFL started in controversy with general manager Steve Keim naming him the starting MIKE linebacker the day he was drafted and before he had even suited up in a red-and-white jersey. The move ruffled feathers with Hicks who had seemingly lost his role to a rookie who hadn’t earned it yet.
But by the beginning of the season, Hicks retained his starting role with Collins starting only six games. Collins played less than 25% of the defensive snaps instead playing primarily on special teams which he only participated in 35% of the time.
The young linebacker was challenged by an intimidating role on defense. As the MIKE linebacker he would need to communicate with his defensive teammates what the opposing offense was preparing to run, a talent that requires experience and quickness. A tough job for a rookie.
Matters were made worse by a shoulder injury that hindered last season. The injury got worse throughout the season until his play-time was cut back, and that added to the challenges he faced in his rookie season.
Collins said, “A lot of it was my fault, some bad practices . . . [and] dealing with the shoulder, it actually had a lot more effect on me than I probably thought. I was trying to be a tough man with it, which probably wasn’t a smart idea.”
By trying to play through the injury, Collins said he was ultimately limited in practices which led to a lack of playing time on defense.
“You take those mistakes and take everything that happened last year, good, bad, or ugly, learn from it, move on, it’s in the past,” Collins said,
With the new season on the horizon and a season steeped in lessons learned behind him, Collins' new outlook on this year is already being noticed by teammates like Isaiah Simmons.
“Last year, I felt like Zaven, not in a bad way, was just here and now he’s acting as if he’s supposed to be here. Just strides of maturity, being a leader. It’s hard for a 22-year-old guy to tell J.J. Watt to get your ass going,” Simmons said.
“Some guys got into it a couple weeks ago and Zaven's over there yelling at them and seeing him do that I’m like, 'I don’t know if you notice, but everyone's watching you do that,’ that’s just little things that matter, especially coming from that position."
The tandem of Simmons and Collins will be one of the most important factors for the success of the Cardinals defense. Arizona invested heavily in the inside linebacker position, drafting Simmons and Collins with its first-round picks in back-to-back years. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said that this season is “their time.”
The chemistry between the two athletes is almost as important as the physical skill set they will display on the field. Simmons admitted he didn’t think he would like Collins, but said that he is now one of his best friends.
The duo participated in their first normal offseason after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted among NFL teams. During OTAs and minicamp, the chemistry allowed for Simmons to hold his friend accountable at times.
“I had to get after him a little bit last week, just telling him . . . the mistakes that we’ve been making before we got to eliminate those and make new mistakes moving forward,” Simmons said. “It wasn’t something he wanted to hear, but at the end I think he realized I was telling him that for the better of us.”
Collins is utilizing former teammates to help his growth this offseason. He is still in contact with Hicks who signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this offseason. Collins said two discuss schemes, but credits Hicks for teaching him how to study in an “NFL way.”
Replacing Hicks as the seasoned veteran in the inside linebacker room is Nick Vigil who is entering his seventh season. Collins and Vigil haven’t had a chance to study tape together, but Vigil has given Collins tips and tricks in just the few practices they have had.
Questions will continue to surround Collins until he steps up to the potential that the Cardinals expected for him when they drafted him in the first round. For Collins, all he can do is put the past in the rearview mirror and move forward and hope that his second season is an improvement over his first one.
“If everything was easy, then it would be too good to be true,” Collins said. “You got to go through something and if that’s the hardest thing I go through in my NFL career. I think we’re going to be alright.”
