Jags' Collier in life-threatening situation after being shot

The shooting also was the latest in a long list of off-the-field troubles for the Jaguars. Taylor was charged with disorderly conduct over the weekend. Receiver Matt Jones is facing a felony drug charge in Arkansas. In all, the team has had 11 players arrested in the last two years.

But Del Rio said he disagreed with anyone wanting to lump Collier's shooting in with some of the team's other recent troubles.

"He was out last night, enjoying himself, having a good time, being responsible," the coach said. "I take offense to people that insinuate and call that a lack of discipline or a lack of responsibility. There are no rules about being out on a Monday night before your day off the following day.

"Listen, a person got shot. The guy who shot the gun is the problem, not the guy who got shot. He's the victim. He was victimized. You ought to be able to go out and have a good time and go back home and not be worried about being killed or being put in the hospital with bullet holes.

"I take offense to people who are out there lumping together and trying to make this an issue of team discipline. This is a disciplined football team. This is a big blow, but let's not put the blame on the wrong person or the wrong situation. The person that pulled the trigger is the person that's wrong."

Collier, entering his third season, made the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2006. He competed for the starting job at left tackle this preseason but was beaten out by Barnes.

Still, the Jaguars believe Collier could be a future starter. They signed him to a contract extension earlier this year despite an arrest last season.

The 6-foot-7, 345-pound linemen was arrested Nov. 3 after officers found him asleep behind the wheel at a McDonald's drive-thru window. Collier failed field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level of .096, according to police. In Florida, it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher.

Collier was suspended two games and fined.

His attorney disputed the police report and recommended that his client go to trial, but Collier didn't want the team to have to deal with the negative attention it would have generated. So he pleaded no contest and accepted six months of probation and a suspension of his driver's license.

Coming out of high school in Shreveport, La., Collier didn't have the grades or test scores to attend most colleges, so he stayed home with his mother and got a job in the produce department at Wal-Mart.

He worked there for two years before deciding to give football another chance. He enrolled at Tyler Junior College in Texas, about 90 miles west of Shreveport. He showed up weighing 390 pounds, having not lifted a weight since high school.

Collier quickly got his grades -- and body -- in shape and worked his way into the starting lineup. He transferred to Valdosta State in 2004 and helped the Blazers win the Division II national championship that season. He earned All-America honors as a senior in 2005, yet still failed to impress many NFL scouts.

The Jaguars were the only team to bring Collier in for a workout before the draft, so signing with Jacksonville as an undrafted rookie was an easy decision. His only other choice, he thought, was to go back to the produce section.

"It took me to lose everything to recognize how much I had," Collier said during his rookie season. "It was a blessing, really. I found out how it would be if I didn't work hard and apply myself."