BY NICK ST. DENIS
Austin Collie had a lot to give during his first three seasons in the NFL.
The now fifth-year wideout hauled in 172 passes from Peyton Manning from 2009-11, including 15 touchdowns in his first two years. Collie, however, sustained the third concussion of his career in the 2012 preseason and suffered a season-ending knee injury at the beginning of the 2012 regular season.
Collie hasn't played a down since, but the New England Patriots are giving him a shot. Collie thinks it's a wise decision.
"I feel like I have a lot more left to give," Collie said this week, via CSNNE.com. "If I didn't feel that way, if I didn't feel like I have more to give, or that I'd maximized my potential already then I'd walk away. But I still feel like I have a lot more."
The Patriots' pass-catching corps has been in flux through four weeks with their once league-best tight end corps getting depleted and Danny Amendola, who was supposed to supplement the production lost to Wes Welker's departure, missing the last three games.
Quarterback Tom Brady has developed some chemistry with the young receivers he has left, but one of them -- Aaron Dobson -- is a prime candidate for the gameday inactive list against the Cincinnati Bengals, so it's a good possibility Collie will be running routes come Sunday afternoon.
"All I want to do is play football and that's what I'm doing," Collie said. "I'm a happy man."
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