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Bid for playing time Young receivers hope to play alongside Harrison
Posted: Sunday April 09, 2000 01:55 AM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Pro Bowler Marvin Harrison is the top receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. The battle for the No. 2 role could be intense when training camp opens in July with Chad Plummer and Isaac Jones among the hopefuls. Both are participating in voluntary workouts this month at the team's complex and are taking advantage of the opportunity to work with Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning. Both were around last season when the Colts went 13-3 to win the AFC East championship, but their roles were minor. Plummer, a 6-foot-3, 223-pounder who was a sixth-round draft pick of Denver, spent the season on the practice squad. The 6-foot, 190-pound Jones spent much of the season on the injured, unable-to-participate list, and had one catch for eight yards in the one game he played. "I'm just working to get ready for next season. The expectations will be much higher," said Plummer, who was selected the most valuable player as a senior at Cincinnati, where he started the first six games at quarterback and had split-end and flanker duties in the other five games. "You can never rest in the NFL," he said. "We've come here early to try and get things accomplished, because if you can get it done now, that leaves the stress off in camp. "You've got to know what you're doing when you get into camp and start the preseason." There's no shortage of candidates for playing time at wide receiver. E.G. Green and Jerome Pathom, both high draft picks in 1998 who have started previously, are returning. Terrence Wilkins, a free agent signee last year, became a starter as a rookie. "I'm a big receiver. I want to contribute somehow, if it's blocking, special teams or what," Plummer said. "My main focus this year is learning how to be a fulltime receiver. At the time I was a quarterback, I didn't get a lot of work at receiver. "Now, this offseason is very important to me as I make the transition." Plummer said he learned a lot last season about running pass routes. "I'm not knowledgeable at being a receiver, as far as technique,' he said. 'My senior year ... my main thing was to find a hole in the zone." That all changed as he practiced against cornerbacks Jeff Burris and Tyrone Poole, he said. "The secondary taught me a lot last year, how to use my size, how to use different techniques," he said. "I'm not as fast as Marvin, that's for sure, but I've got other aspects that Marvin can't use. ... I'm a good target on the inside. When you've got a quarterback, and you go across the middle, a lot of time it's hard to spot a small receiver." Jones, meanwhile, is hoping the offseason work will be beneficial when training camp opens in July. "I want to work on all aspects that will improve me as far as being a good wide receiver, getting stronger, faster, work on route-running and continue to catch the ball better," he said. "Plus, I've got more time and the pace is slower to learn the offense inside and out." The lessons of his rookie season make him more confident about his future. "I feel more comfortable, having gone through the process of a full season, knowing what it takes to contribute as well as what it is really like to be a professional," Jones said. "You've got to take care of your body, work hard every day, the film study, the weight lifting, they're all part of it and make you a better player."
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