Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is a man of few words. Outside of talking and joking with his teammates, Collins is a reserved individual, and there is one thing that he will never do before a game.
“I don’t trash-talk my opponents before a game,” said Collins exclusively to Brian Barefield of Big Sarge Media. “I have respect for each and every player who lines up in front of me because I know they worked hard to make it to the NFL as well.”
Yet, Collins, who was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2024, can’t stop defensive backs from trying to get inside his head to gain some advantage over him, which is something he never lets happen.
Last season, during Week 2, Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson attempted to mentally and physically challenge Collins on national TV.
During the first quarter, Collins and Stevenson were matched up on a Texans run play by Joe Mixon. After the completion of the play where the two were locked up, Stevenson put his finger in Collins’ face as a sign of disrespect.
The former Michigan Wolverine star was visibly angry and directed some choice words at Stevenson, along with a shove to his facemask that resulted in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.
Being a man of letting his actions speak louder than his words, Collins scored on the very next play on a 28-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud as the Texans went on to defeat the Bears 19-13, as he finished the game with eight receptions for 135 yards receiving and a touchdown.
“He was just out there talking noise, you know how that goes,” said Collins after the game with a smile on his face. “They try to get under your skin, but I wasn’t going for it.”
They say that the NFL is a copycat league, and on Tuesday, Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed took his turn to try to get under the skin of Collins ahead of their matchup on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
When asked about playing against Collins for the first time in his career, Sneed responded with a fake obliviousness, “Who?”
When the reporter repeated Collins’ name, Sneed smiled and repeated the word, “Who?”
Standing at his locker on Wednesday, the former third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft shrugged off any suggestion that Sneed didn’t know who he was.
“He knows who I am,” Collins said to reporters. “That’s crazy.”
As he continued to answer questions, a look of perplexity crossed his face, which could be attributed to the remarks made by Sneed.
When he was asked again, Collins ensured that his comments were clear and concise so that there would be no misunderstanding when they were relayed back to the former Kansas City Chiefs defensive back.
“I’m a dog, you know what I’m saying,” Collins said. “I’m just me. I don’t say much. I just play. You can talk all you want. I’m not hearing it. Just line that (expletive) up.”
After practice on Thursday, Collins had heard and read numerous responses to what was said in Tennessee and his own words from the day prior, and he did not waver when Sneed was brought up again.
“I honestly don’t know where that (Sneed’s Remarks) came from,” said Collins to Big Sarge Media. “We have never played against each other, but I am used to defensive backs trying to get inside my head. It has been happening since high school, but just like back then, I let my play do all my talking."
“If you get into a trash-talking battle, it takes too much energy away from the ultimate goal of trying to win the game. I have things I can control and have to focus on to make my team better and be there whenever ‘Seven’ [Quarterback C.J. Stroud] needs me.”