The Long Road Back For Nick Collins

It was reported today that Green Bay Packers S Nick Collins had surgery today to repair a herniated disk. From the Journal-Sentinel:

There is no guarantee that S Nick Collins will ever play football again, but the cervical fusion surgery he had Thursday night gives him a chance to resume his career, his agent, Alan Herman said Friday.

I'm glad to read he has a chance at resuming his NFL career, but I have to admit I'm pessimistic. There's nothing for him to do now but wait and see how his body responds, and how he feels next year.

The hit didn't seem that violent by NFL standards, so this statement by his agent didn't surprise me:

"It was a fluke hit," Herman said. "It was like Dennis Byrd, only a different result. It was a player with his neck extended at impact. These guys have these collisions every day. This one, he was just hit the wrong way. He was in an unfortunate position on the tackle."