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The special Thanksgiving edition of PFT Live included a visit from Giants safety Landon Collins, who among other things is thankful he’s no longer a running back.

“My mindset was not to take licks because I wanted to save my body to play the game for a long time,” said Collins, who initially abandoned the position in high school, given that Eddie Lacy was one of his teammates. “I know that the running backs come and go in the league, some stay a little bit longer. But I know the average is almost three to five years. So I wanted to stay in there a little bit longer.”

As a strong safety, Collins is delivering hits. As a running back, he would have been absorbing them. Which hurts more?

“It hurts way less to deliver the licks, I promise you that,” Collins said. “If you know how to tackle, know how to use your power for each tackle it hurts a lot less.”

Collins knows how to do more than tackle. With five interceptions in four games, he knows how to make plays when the football is in the air. He explained that it’s a combination of physical skills, film study, and luck — adding that Alabama coach Nick Saban told him that, for defensive backs, luck is always a factor.

So far, Collins is making his own luck. And he’s drawing attention for the defensive player of the year award. If he keeps picking off passes at the rate he recently has, he won’t need much luck to win it.

Regardless of what happens this year, Collins is laying the foundation for a lengthy NFL career. Meanwhile, the running back who supplanted Collins in high school could soon be the latest example of a three-to-five-year running back career.

To hear everything Collins said and/or everything from every edition of PFT Live, download the podcast at iTunes or audioBoom.