Patriots' Collins ruled out vs. Bills with illness; reportedly not MRSA
New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins has been ruled out of Monday's divisional tilt against the Buffalo Bills due to an undisclosed illness.
As Collins' illness has lingered, it's been rumored that he has MRSA. The Patriots are not obliged to indicate the exact nature of the illness, but Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that it is very unlikely to be MRSA.
A source tells Howe the Patriots have not shut down any part of their facilities to disinfect, the standard practice when an MRSA outbreak occurs. Both the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have dealt with MRSA this way over the past few years.
Collins first popped up on the injury report with an illness on Nov. 7, and hasn't played or practiced since. Jonathan Freeny, Jerod Mayo, and Jon Bostic should see additional playing time in his absence.
Offensive linemen Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon, and Tre' Jackson are all questionable for Monday.