That tackle, Collins, became the subject of intense scrutiny in Cincinnati during three days of negotiations with agent Peter Schaffer. A) The Bengals desperately needed an upgrade at right tackle and B) Collins is one of the best in the league.
That made Collins more recognizable than Macy’s when he visited Kenwood Mall Saturday afternoon. The negotiations had gone on for so long that he needed clothes other than the natty suit he wanted to wear to sign in the ‘Nati.
He thought he could slip anonymously through wearing his mask, but everyone in town seemed to know him well enough to make a pitch for their AFC champs.
“For me, it was special,” Collins said Wednesday. “They still saw the big fella. I just said hey, they were asking me if we were close yet or done. I just said we will get there, we will get there. The whole time I was optimistic we were going to get it done. I was really just trying to get a feel for my new home because I was very optimistic they were going to get it…