One would think the fact another football season is going by without Jeremy Bloom’s name stitched on a jersey would be discouraging to the former Colorado playmaker.
It was 2003 that Bloom last lit up the field as the Buffaloes’ big-play receiver and returner. But Bloom says he is not discouraged by another year of downtime.
“This was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “It was the best thing for me.”
Bloom, drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round in April, is spending his rookie season on injured reserve. Bloom injured his hamstring early in training camp. When he goes to training camp in 2007, it will be four years since he last played in a game.
Bloom, from Loveland, played at CU in 2002 and 2003. After being ruled ineligible by the NCAA because of his endorsement deals as a professional skier, Bloom’s football career was put on hold. It stayed that way until February, when he returned from the Winter Olympics in Italy. The moguls skier came back to the United States and immediately prepared for the NFL combine.
Bloom’s crash course on football continued until he was injured.
“This has been a breath of fresh air,” Bloom said. “I was pushing it too fast. I was trying to get back into football too soon after Torino. In retrospect, it wasn’t going to work. This gives me a chance to catch up on the right pace.”
Bloom said this is the first time in his life he has solely focused on being a football player. There always was skiing before. He said he isn’t worried about what will be a four-year layoff.
“It’s moot to me,” he said.
Instead, Bloom vows he will come back better prepared to play in the NFL. He is attending the Eagles’ team meetings, works out extensively and is watching game film.
Bloom, who is 5-feet-9, is spending his downtime studying game film of small receivers who have excelled in the NFL. Bloom has studied the development of Carolina star Steve Smith and Washington’s Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El. All three are 5-10 or shorter.
“I am fully immersed in this thing,” Bloom said. “I may not be playing this year, but I am getting ready and I am a full-time football player and that feels great.”
Passing around passers
QB talk: It could be an interesting offseason when it comes to available quarterbacks. There likely will be some big names available, starting with Denver’s Jake Plummer.
Plummer will not be a Bronco next season. QB will be Jay Cutler’s job in Denver, beginning opening day 2007 at the latest.
Plummer, in all likelihood, won’t be kept as Cutler’s backup. He will be traded or released.
There could be a market for Plummer. Teams such as Oakland or Green Bay, if Brett Favre retires, could make a play for him. But there also will be other former starters available.
Jacksonville likely will trade or cut Byron Leftwich, who lost his job to David Garrard. Former Cowboys starter Drew Bledsoe also will be available now that Tony Romo is starting.
Lelie in line for extension
Atlanta: The Falcons are interested in re-signing Ashley Lelie to an extension in the offseason. Lelie is in the final year of his contract after being acquired from the Broncos in August. Lelie has come along slowly and has become a part of the Falcons’ offense.
The Falcons like the way Lelie competes, and they love his speed. There may be other interest across the league, but if the Falcons give him a decent offer, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Lelie stay with the Falcons.
Look for Tatum trade
Denver: The prediction here is that Tatum Bell will be playing elsewhere next season. Don’t misread this. Bell is not asking for a trade, and the Broncos aren’t itching to get rid of him.
However, it may be that Bell is a better fit elsewhere. Denver likes Bell, but it also has Mike Bell, Damien Nash and Cedric Cobbs. And, of course, the Broncos will add another running back in the offseason. They always do.
Tatum Bell is the most skilled of the group and he could garner legitimate trade interest.
Fargas could be better fit
Oakland: With a 2-8 record, it is audition time among the Raiders. Time to look toward next season. An interesting position to keep an eye on is tailback, with starter LaMont Jordan out for the season because of an injury.
That means Justin Fargas will get a chance to show the coaching staff he can be the Raiders’ top tailback in 2007. The team has been high on the Southern California product, who was drafted in the third round in 2003.
The Raiders like the way he runs and like his effort. If Fargas finishes the season strong, it could push Jordan out the door.
Jordan is more expensive and, at 28, is getting up in age for a tailback.
Around the league
Giants quarterback Eli Manning is not getting better. In the past six games, Manning has thrown seven touchdown passes and been intercepted eight times. …
Going into Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, there was a cut watch for kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Since signing with Dallas during the offseason, Vanderjagt has struggled. He hasn’t been the same since missing a key field goal for the Colts against Pittsburgh in the playoffs. There’s little chance he will be brought back by the Cowboys. …
Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow has been connected to the possible opening with the Miami Hurricanes. He also has been mentioned as a potential replacement at North Carolina State. … If Chuck Amato is fired by N.C. State, Denver tight ends coach Tim Brewster also could be a candidate. Brewster bowed out of consideration at Iowa State last week. Stanford might also be interested in Brewster. …
There has been recent talk that Arizona would like to reunite quarterback Matt Leinart with his college coach, Pete Carroll. At this point, that prospect seems unlikely. Carroll enjoys being at Southern California and likely would rather go to a more stable team if he were to return to the NFL. …
It still appears Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will be a serious candidate to replace Dennis Green at Arizona. …
Don’t be surprised if Broncos special teams captain Keith Burns retires after the season and joins the Denver coaching staff. …
How amazing has Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson been? He has scored 22 touchdowns. Eighteen teams in the NFL have fewer touchdowns, including the Broncos (20).
AT ISSUE
Injury wrecks flex
What: The flex schedule for NBC’s Sunday night games.
Background: This is the first year the NFL has instituted the flex schedule over the latter portion of the season. After several years of talking about it, the NFL pulled the trigger on keeping an open schedule late in the season for Sunday night’s prime-time games on NBC. Tonight’s game between Philadelphia and Indianapolis will be the third flex game. The Bears and Giants started it Nov. 12 and the Broncos and Chargers played last week in the second flex game. It appeared tonight’s game was a good fit, too, before Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a season-ending knee injury. Now the starless Eagles will be on prime time and the Colts are huge favorites.
Williamson’s take: It’s a lesson for the NFL. You can’t predict what will be a great game two weeks before the games are played. There is no controlling, not even by the powerful suits in New York, what happens on the field. Overall, flex is a good development. There were too many bad matchups on prime time late in the season in recent years. The McNabb injury just shows even the best-laid plans aren’t perfect.
THE HOT SEAT
Payton: Rally troops
Who: New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton
When: Today at Atlanta
Why: Payton’s Saints are starting to slide – and he’s facing his biggest challenge as a first-year head coach. Payton needs to show he can handle this on-field adversity and get this team together. After back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, the Saints (6-4) are tied with Carolina for first place in the NFC South. But if they lose to the Falcons, the Saints’ playoff hopes will be in jeopardy. Payton, an early candidate for coach of the year, needs to rally his troops if his first year is going to end in the postseason. New Orleans has overcome so much off the field, but let’s watch how he reacts to this test.
ROOKIE WATCH
Leinart: future star
Who: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart
When: Today at Minnesota
Why: Leinart is becoming a solid quarterback. His team is awful, but Leinart is coming along nicely. He had a good game last week when the Cardinals beat the Lions to improve to 2-8. It was his first NFL victory as a starter. For Leinart, it’s all about the future, and today’s game against the Vikings can go a long way in establishing it. The win over Detroit could ignite Leinart. He had his detractors when he was drafted, but he is fluid and smooth. He looks like he belongs in the NFL. His experience as a rookie will help him and Arizona next season. When Cardinals coach Denny Green drafted Leinart, he said it was a gift that the QB fell to the No. 10 pick in the draft. With Green likely to be fired at the end of the season, Leinart will be a gift for another coach – likely Chicago assistant Ron Rivera.
Broncos mailbag: Bill Williamson posts a new installment each Tuesday on DenverPost.com. Previous mailbags also are available on the website.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
