No one's pulling for Kerry Collins to continue his successful comeback with the New York Giants more than his old Penn State teammate, Joe Jurevicius.
Jurevicius, who left Penn State three years after Collins, has been a disappointment since the Giants drafted the receiver in the second round in 1998. He's caught only 27 passes for 464 yards and one touchdown in two seasons.
But Jurevicius and Collins have formed a bond off the field they hope will continue on it. The receiver drives the quarterback to work while Collins serves his one-year suspension for driving under the influence of alcohol.
"We talk in the car or going out to dinner, and those things translate into knowing a person better and knowing him as a quarterback," Jurevicius said. "It also gives him the opportunity to yell at me. That's his job. He's the quarterback and the leader of the offense."
Jurevicius had a life-changing experience of his own this summer. He was among the volunteers who helped victims of a terrace collapse July 1 at a winery on a Lake Erie island that killed one and injured dozens. He said he was near the person who died.
"It kind of woke you up," Jurevicius said. "You're here one second and gone the next. It's just good to know in a time of need you would hopefully act again."
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