Giants' Collins blasts Eli Apple: 'He's a cancer'
New York Giants safety Landon Collins was seemingly unable to conceal his disgust toward teammate Eli Apple during a radio segment Monday.
Collins, who recently said Apple needs to grow up, took his criticism a step further, suggesting that the second-year cornerback is poisonous to the team.
"There is only one corner who needs to grow up and we all know who that is," said Collins, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "That would be the only person I would change out of our secondary group. Besides, the other two guys, (Rodgers-Cromarie) and (Jenkins), I love those two guys. They play hard. They love what they do. That first pick ... he's a cancer."
Collins had a nice long laugh before he answered. Almost like he considered not answering and then thought, “Nah, screw it.”
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 26, 2017
Apple was selected 10th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft but has struggled throughout his sophomore season, and was benched numerous times in the 2017 season.
Collins outlined his frustrations with Apple earlier in December, telling reporters he needs to grow up.
"I can't tell you man. That's a hard topic to speak on," Collins said of Apple on Dec. 20. "As a player, he's a great player. As a man, he has his ups and downs. But when he's on the field, I think he's trying to be as much accountable as he can. He understands, I think the business side of the game did it to him, because this game is not for long. And I think he finally understands that even if you're a first-rounder, you can always be cut."
Billed as a sleeper Super Bowl contender prior to the season, the 2017 campaign has been an unmitigated disaster for the Giants, slumping to the bottom of the NFC with a 2-13 record, culminating in the firings of head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.
It looks like the Giants may look a lot different next fall.