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Giants S Landon Collins looks to further improve his game – Metro US

Giants S Landon Collins looks to further improve his game

New York Giants safety Landon Collins intercepts a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo: Getty Images)
Despite a season where there was chatter at the midway point about him being a legitimate MVP candidate, New York Giants safety Landon Collins thinks there is plenty of room for improvement in his game. This as his coaching staff is talking about their star safety and his unbelievable ceiling.
 
Collins is coming off a campaign with the Giants that saw him enter the discussion as one of the league’s top safeties, if not one of the best defensive players in the entire NFL. Truthfully, Collins was one of the most dominant players on any given Sunday on either side of the ball, something that is reflected in the now third-year safety’s list of accolades a season ago.
 
Collins made both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro lists in 2016, the first time ever that he’s registered such honors. At one point a month into the 2016 season, Collins led the Giants in tackles, interceptions and sacks.
 
There is still plenty of buzz coming in from the Giants organization, a bit of a surprise given how low-key the franchise usually is in the hype department. But last week, secondary coach Dave Merritt heaped praise on Collins and talked about a future that could be incredibly bright.
 
“It means a lot to me. Me and coach Merritt have talks all the time and he asked me what is my ultimate goal? And my ultimate goal is to wear that yellow jacket at the end of the day, that gold jacket,” Collins said referencing the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which gives out a yellow jacket to inductees. “At the end of the day, at the end of my career, that is my goal and the work that I have to put in, and the chemistry that I have to have with my coaches and my guys, and the acknowledgement of what I have to put on the field, it has to be 10 and above. If not, I am not going to do that.”
 
After spending last offseason overhauling the league’s worst defense, the Giants played much improved as a unit in 2016. Collins’ continued development is a big factor in where the Giants hope to be this upcoming season as he is the star of a star-studded secondary.
 
“It looks great to me. We’ve got all the guys back. All of the guys know what they are doing. It’s like second nature now,” Collins said. “It’s just building, building on top and adding more to the defense so we can just confuse the offense when we play against them. It’s great.”