The Associated Press

Nashville, Tenn.

Kerry Collins may not be the NFL's best quarterback. He has a checkered personal history and a losing record as a starter.

But here he is, gray stubble and all, a key reason the Tennessee Titans are the NFL's last unbeaten team with a franchise-best 10-0 start.

The fifth pick in 1995, Collins took his first team to the NFC championship game in his second season, and led the New York Giants to the 2001 Super Bowl. But he also had problems with alcohol and the behavior that went with drinking.

Now the guy who once felt he had to be the life of the party is happy to rush home to his wife and 4-year-old daughter. A big night out these days? Playing cards with friends or sitting in a deer stand by himself.

"If you play 14 years in this business, part of your career is going to be about survival," Collins said.

"I think one thing that's kept me in it is I've been able to come back from situations. I've been able to come back from personal things, from good years, from down years. I mean, that's just part of being in this business for a long time."

Thus did a player once labeled a quitter for asking his coach to bench him keep these Titans from a potential meltdown in September.

That's when Vince Young, the No. 3 pick overall in 2006, sprained his knee - and ego - after being booed by hometown fans. Collins ran on the field and has made every play necessary to keep Tennessee unbeaten.

Now the guy who ranks behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in career yards passing among active quarterbacks is busy adding to his numbers.

He ranks 14th all-time with 36,472 yards passing; he is 12th in completions and 10th in attempts. With nine wins this season, he has improved his career record to 79-85.

He has been at his best the past two weeks when defenses dared the Titans to pass. Collins threw for 519 yards with five touchdowns and one interception against Chicago and Jacksonville for a combined passer rating of 111.4.

He threw TD passes when the Bears stacked eight and nine men to stop the Titans' strong running game. Then he rallied Tennessee from a 14-3 halftime deficit in Jacksonville with three second-half touchdown passes.

"He's always done three things that always set good quarterbacks apart. He's taken ups and downs in stride; he's prepared thoroughly, and he's competed like the devil," said Indianapolis president Bill Polian, who made Collins the expansion Carolina Panthers' first draft pick when he came out of Penn State.

His right arm was so strong as a teenager that his father moved him into a different school district to give him a better chance to compete for a Pennsylvania championship and earn a scholarship.

Collins set a string of records at Penn State and helped give Joe Paterno his fifth undefeated season and a Rose Bowl win in 1994.

Then he became an example of what not to do in the NFL.

He was called a racist for his attempt at a drunken joke in 1997 during his time with the Panthers - in which he used a derogatory racial term in the presence of a black teammate. He was called a quitter for asking Carolina coach Dom Capers to bench him in 1998; he got cut instead.

His short stint in New Orleans is noteworthy for a photo after a drunken-driving arrest in which Collins was swaggering down a street, cigar in hand, after being released from jail.

Collins went through alcohol rehab, then got a third NFL chance from the Giants.

He worked with the team's psychiatrist, and in his sixth NFL season helped the Giants to the Super Bowl, where he bared his life story in a 45-minute session with the media that riveted even the most jaded reporters.

But by 2004, the Giants had obtained Eli Manning. Collins asked for his release from the Giants and got it. He spent two seasons in Oakland and was one of the few weapons on a franchise that had become one of the NFL's worst.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher wanted Collins in 2006 for his arm and his knowledge to help teach Young how to be an NFL quarterback. The deal didn't happen until late August.

With so little time to learn, Collins went 0-3 as a starter before yielding to the rookie and becoming the teacher on the sideline.

Collins' chance came this September in the wake of Young's sprained knee. After Collins won his first start, Fisher said he would stick with Collins as long as the Titans kept winning.

They haven't stopped.

Collins has always been limited by a lack of mobility, but he has been sacked only five times, intercepted just four. While his eight touchdowns may not compare to his gunslinging days, he's only one away from matching Tennessee's passing TD total for last season.

Each win brings in more reporters eager to dredge up Collins' past and see if those scars truly are healed. Collins talks as long as needed and says he knows the questions will keep coming as long as he plays. It's an easy trade-off to make.

"I'm at peace with my past, and so I guess it's easier for me to talk about it now," he said.

mature numbers Collins ranks 14th all-time with 36,472 yards passing; he is 12th in career completions; and 10th in career attempts.

mature attitude

Collins has been labeled a drunk, a quitter and a racist. Now, the guy who was once the life of the party, rushes home to see his wife and 4-year-old daughter. still going

NFL first-round picks from 1995 who are still active:

Pick Player, Pos. Draft team Current team

5. Kerry Collins, QB Panthers Titans

6. Kevin Carter, DL Rams Buccaneers

8. Joey Galloway, WR Seahawks Buccaneers

23. Ty Law, DB Patriots Jets

27. Mark Bruener, TE Steelers Texans

28. Derrick Brooks, DL Buccaneers Buccaneers