Landon Collins will never be asked to appear on “Dancing with the Stars” and the snub will have nothing to do with his footwork or ability to keep the beat.
The guy cannot keep a partner.
“That’s funny,’’ Collins said Friday after practice, acknowledging his inability to get his steps down with anyone for more than a song, err, game or two.
“Whoever shows up,’’ the Giants safety told The Post. “If you spin somebody and they spin off and the next person spins into your arms, you got to catch ’em and just go with it. Trust their footwork, trust their knowledge, trust they know what they’re supposed to be doing, and if they don’t know, I make sure they know.’’
It is next to impossible for Collins to display all the right moves when half of his tag-team is always changing. It is as if anyone lining up next to Collins at safety is too old, too done, too young and almost always too hurt.
As a rookie, he started off playing alongside veteran journeyman Brandon Meriweather and then mostly career backup Craig Dahl. The plan in Year 2 was to team him with Darian Thompson, a precocious rookie third-round pick, but that plan went awry after two games.
That’s how long Thompson lasted until he came out of the Saints game with a bad left foot, which will keep him out several more weeks.
The fallback option of Nat Berhe is one the Giants are comfortable with, but Berhe is currently in the concussion protocol and that means he will not be available to play in Minneapolis on Monday night.
And so, Collins has to tango in the secondary with a new set of legs. The only other pure safety on the roster is Andrew Adams, an undrafted rookie out of Connecticut who made an inauspicious NFL debut last week against the Redskins. Collins said it is Adams who will start alongside him against the Vikings.
“Yes, I trust him,’’ Collins said. “I have to trust him. If he breaks my trust, I have to find a way to trust what he doesn’t know so we can build on that.’’
This is so much so soon for Collins, who has never missed a game for the Giants, starting 19 straight, yet who is so young (22) that the rookies, Thompson and Adams, at 23 are actually older than him.
It does not help that two cornerbacks, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (groin) and Eli Apple (hamstring), also are hurting — figure DRC has a better chance to play than Apple.
If there is a week to be depleted in the secondary this is it, especially when one of the healthy bodies is Janoris Jenkins, aka Jackrabbit, who figures to give Stefon Diggs the full Sting treatment (Every breath you take, Every move you make … Every step you take, I’ll be watching you). The Vikings are 3-0 with the league’s 31st-ranked offense. Heck, losing your quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater), future Hall of Fame running back (Adrian Peterson) and starting left tackle (Matt Kalil) has to water down the offensive soup, doesn’t it?
So, Collins will not be facing the sort of aerial circus the Giants saw with the Saints or will see in Week 5 in Green Bay. Still, he will have to drop and cover and he envisioned doing it now, and for years to come, with Thompson.
“Definitely,’’ Collins said. “When he gets back it’s gonna be great.’’
Perhaps Collins and Thompson will make beautiful music together, but not now, not this weekend. Coach Ben McAdoo, firmly reaching for the half-full glass, said all the changing of safeties around Collins is not a deterrent and has actually helped his development because it forced Collins to become a leader more quickly.
This is not ideal. Collins and Adams were together in the spring and earlier in the summer but Collins (a starter) and Adams (a third-teamer destined to be a late cut) were on different paths and never, ever lined up next to each other for a single snap on defense.
This was not the plan.
“You want a safety that’s going to be continuously next to you and be able to work on concepts,’’ Collins said. “We haven’t been able to build that yet. I was getting into that with Nat and D.T. and they just keep on going in and out, so waiting on that to happen.When that does happen it’s gonna be tremendous back there.’’
It is not happening Monday night, meaning there will be another dance partner for Collins.
“I got some moves,’’ he said. “The right partner, we’ll make it work.’’