Collins will hear Fassel's voice Sunday
Published: Friday, November 1, 2002 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 1, 2002 at 12:01 a.m.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When quarterback Kerry Collins gets the plays from the sidelines Sunday night against Jacksonville, Jim Fassel will be making the calls for the New York Giants.
Fassel confirmed Thursday he would take over the job from offensive coordinator Sean Payton.
The change was made because the Giants (3-4) have scored seven offensive touchdowns in seven games.
"Jim called the plays when I first got here. It will go smooth," Collins said Thursday after practice. "It will be fine. Having said that, it comes down to us as players and our execution and what we can do. It will be a smooth transition and everybody will do what they have to do."
Like most of the offense, Collins refused to make Payton the scapegoat. New York has scored 13 points in losing the last two games. The team has 89 for the season, the NFL's second fewest.
Payton called the plays since the middle of the 1999 season, taking over from Fassel, who called his own plays for his first 2¶ years as head coach.
"Everyone is accountable; it is not just on Sean's shoulders," Collins said. "There are a lot of things that we haven't done as an offense and as a team, and that may be why we are 3-4. It is not all Sean Payton's fault."
The biggest problem on offense has been mistakes.
In losing the past two games, New York turned the ball over three times inside the 20-yard line, including a fumble by rookie fullback Charles Stackhouse with the Giants about to take a third-quarter lead Monday night.
Collins and Fassel talked about the change, which caught both the quarterback and Payton off-guard.
"He gave me an opportunity to talk about, but he is the boss," Collins said. "He is the head man. He is going to do what he sees fit. Right now, I am just going to worry about what we are doing on the field and what we can do as players to score more points and get wins."
Collins doesn't expect Fassel to call totally different plays. What has to change is the constant mistakes, including his own. He has thrown eight interceptions.
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