Yardbarker: Dennis Norman

San Diego Chargers in Trouble Up Front Against the Baltimore Ravens

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:21:14 -0500

Both the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens have serious intentions of representing the AFC in the Super Bowl this season. Both are coming of wins, but neither played up to expectations. They know this will be a pivotal game early in the season. Who ever gets the victory will have an early leg up in the AFC playoff race. With the Ravens coming in, no LaDanian Tomlinson and an offensive line that's beat up, it's not exactly the home opener the Chargers had in mind. Come to t...

Bolts sign C Norman to replace ailing Hardwick

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:13:49 -0500

The San Diego Chargers have signed center Dennis Norman two days after starter Nick Hardwick sprained his ankle in a close victory at Oakland.

Righting The Ship: Norman And Walker Can Fill Key Holes On O-Line

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:35:40 -0500

If a ship’s sinking it’s probably because of a hole in the hull. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if there’s a hole in the ship, you plug it. If there’s a hole in the offensive line, you fill it. There is some relative stability on the left side of the Chief’s offensive line with second year player Branden Albert playing tackle beside a familiar face to the Pro Bowl in guard Brian Waters. However, anyone watching Kan...

Good bye Dennis Norman. It seemes to be open season on veterans. Is Gene going too far or is this...

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:03:22 -0500

Good bye Dennis Norman. It seemes to be open season on veterans. Is Gene going too far or is this a justified dismissal?

2008 Season Retrospective: Did injuries "Neg Out" the Jaguars?

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:22:22 -0500

What explains the late season meltdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars? With training camp so close you can almost smell the sweat on the blocking sleds, It's time for a (hopefully) final look back at the 2008 season, and what it means for the 2009 team. Two articles popped on my radar recently, each offering a "scientific" examination of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but with differing conclusions. K.C. Joyner, writing for the New York Times, looks at the ...

Talking Points: Jaguars vs. Lions

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:40:55 -0500

Sunday, the Jaguars travel to Detroit for the first time since 1995. And for the second straight game, they face an 0-8 team. Last week, the Jaguars lost to the Bengals. This time it's the Lions. Here are the talking points that we'll cover before the game, follow during the game and analyze after the game: 1. Unity-We've talked a lot about team chemistry this year, but there is something more powerful than chemistry. I'll call it unity. Team chemistry means how the individuals work together. Unity is all about pulling in the same direction. With the Mike Peterson situation this week, the question of unity is an important one. Are the Jaguars all on the same page? Even if they aren't a serious playoff contender (and I don't count them as one at this point), there is still plenty to accomplish for the future. 2. Reflection of Del Rio-After the loss to the Bengals, Jack Del Rio said that he expects the team to be a reflection of him and right now, he doesn't like the reflection. So what can we expect from Del Rio this week? He's clearly being pro-active in trying to change the pace of the season. This might be one of those games where Del Rio gets stubborn with the running game. We'll see what kind of approach he takes in the game plan. 3. Play Faster-This has two meanings. First, the Jaguars aren't playing with confidence. They're thinking too much and not reacting and playing loose. The other meaning (and this may be a long term issue) is that the Jaguars just aren't a very fast team right now. The guys they expected to play with speed aren't. When I gauge fast teams, I look at running back, tight end, wide receivers, linebackers and safeties. Just about everyone has fast corners. Because of age and injury, Fred Taylor isn't as explosive. Maurice Jones-Drew hasn't shown that extra gear. Marcedes Lewis has never been a burner and he bulked up this off-season. Reggie Nelson has been hurt, Mike Peterson isn't the same old Mike Peterson. In short, this is just a slow football team right now. 4. Lineup Changes? Jack Del Rio hinted that he might make some changes this week. One of those changes should be on the offensive line. I believe that the Jaguars just aren't strong enough in the middle and that's one of the reasons why they aren't moving the pile. Dennis Norman is one of the stronger Jaguars, but he wasn't in the lineup after Brad Meester's return. Put Norman in at right guard and see what he can do. 5. Just Win, Baby-The old clichA(c) says, winning cures everything. The Jaguars need a powerful elixir right now.

Breaking Down the Jaguars Roster Cuts

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:18:20 -0500

The Jaguars cut to 53 didn't offer too many shockers. But there were a few guys that the Jaguars let go that look like they can play. Here is a breakdown of the Jaguars openind day roster by position along with my analysis: QB(2): David Garrard, Cleo Lemon Analysis: Jack Del Rio saw enough out of Cleo Lemon against the Redskins to think that he could win a game or two with Lemon at the helm if David Garrard went out. I think it's possible that someone will pick up Bouman if the Jaguars aren't careful. RB(5): Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Greg Jones, Chauncey Washington, Montell Owens Analysis: No real surprises here. Washington will probably be a game-day inactice more often than not as long as the other guys are healthy, but he looks like a good developmental player. WR:(6): Jerry Porter, Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Mike Walker, Matt Jones, Troy Williamson Analysis: I think that D'Juan Woods could be headed for the practice squad and I'm really sorry that the Jaguars couldn't find a spot for Hoag. He's the kind of player you need to complete a team sometimes. He does a little bit of everything, including special teams, but after Williamson's big catch on Thursday, it was tough to keep Hoag. TE(3): Marcedes Lewis, Greg Estandia, Richard Angulo Analysis: I think you might see Charles Davis on the practice squad. He certainly passes the eye test. He just needs to work on his blocking. OL(9): Khalif Barnes, Vince Manuwai, Dennis Norman, Maurice Williams, Tony Pashos, Brad Meester, Richard Collier, Uche Nwaneri, Tutan Reyes Analysis: The only surprise here?and it's not a big one?is Reyes. But his flexibility make him valuable. He's a solid pro. The kind of player you need as a backup. DL(9): Paul Spicer, John Henderson, Rob Meier, Reggie Hayward, Derrick Harvey, Quentin Groves, Derek Landri, Tony McDaniel, Jimmy Kennedy Analysis: Kennedy may have saved his spot with a good performance on Thursday night. Other than Landri's health and where to put him, there weren't a lot of decisions to make here. I'm expecting to see Mkristo Bruce on the practice squad. LB (7): Darryl Smith, Mike Peterson, Justin Durant, Clint Ingram, Brian Iwuh, Brent Hawkins, Thomas Williams Analysis: Tony Gilbert held on a long time for a guy who wasn't very fast. That's a compliment to his work ethic and toughness. But he didn't make the cut this year. Hawkins is still trying to get comfortable with being a full-time linebacker. He'll have to contribute on special teams. That's also where Williams and Iwuh should offer their most valuable contribution. DB(9): Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, Reggie Nelson, Drayton Florence, Scott Starks, Gerald Sensabaugh, Brian Witherspoon, Jamal Fudge, Pierson Prioleau Analysis: I did not expect the Jaguars to keep nine defensive backs. I expected Fudge or Prioleau, not both of them. This might be the deepest position group on the team. Witherspoon won't be used as a corner much right way. They're looking for him to be a difference maker on returns. ST(3): Josh Scobee, Adam Podlesh, Joe Zelenka Analysis: Absolutely no surprise here. There was not competition for any of these three. Who do I expect to see on the practice squad? Here's a shot in the dark (and you can grade me on Sunday): Mkristo Bruce, D'Juan Woods, Charles Davis, Rashod Moulton, Andrew Carnahan, Drew Miller, Chris Brown and another Big Body to be named.

Injury Big Biting Jaguars

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:11:13 -0500

You'll pardon Jack Del Rio if he wants to fast forward things and get to the regular season right away. As Brad Meester returned to practice, right arm in a sling after surgery to repair his torn biceps, two more Jaguars were carted from the field with injuries. Linebacker Clint Ingram rolled an ankle and was taken off the field early in practice. Near the end of the session, undrafted rookie defensive tackle Theo Horrocks went down with a foot injury during pass rush drills. There is no word on the severity of either injury. As for Meester, he's been through biceps rehab before. Three years ago, he had the same surgery on his left arm. "It's the exact same thing," Meester said. "I know what to expect. The very begining part is being patient and letting it anchor down. Then its getting my flexibility back and my strength back. I'm taking it week by week." Jack Del Rio said on Friday night that he expects Meester back sometime in October. For now, Dennis Norman will start at center for the Jaguars. Depth Chart Notes: Although its anything but the final draft, the Jaguars have released a depth chart in advance of Saturday night's preseason opener. With Reggie Williams out, Troy Williamson and Dennis Northcutt are listed as starters at wide receiver with Mike Walker and Matt Jones as second teamers. Maurice Williams is listed as the starter at right guard, Khalif Barnes listed as the starter at left tackle. Williams (competing with Uche Nwaneri) and Barnes (Richard Collier) were both starters last year, but have been challenged for their spots. At linebacker, Ingram is the backup to Justin Durant. Of course, as Del Rio will point out, the depth chart doesn't mean anything until the regular season.

Jaguars Scrimmage Report

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:12:52 -0500

The Jaguars annual pre-season scrimmage has evolved into little more than a set of drills inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The 12,190 fans who attended Saturday night did get a little taste of what's to come. Especially from rookie defensive end Quentin Groves. Groves and the rest of the rookies were sporting new hair cuts, courtesy of some of the veterans. Groves had the letter "G" carved in the back of his head and had half of his beard shaved off. He took the hazing in stride, then disrupted the short scrimmage. "Offensively at the end, we couldn't do anything because Quentin Groves kept coming off the left side," Del Rio said of the rookie second round pick. "That was good to see. David Garrard led the offense on an efficient touchdown drive in his only work of the scrimmage. Garrard completed 4 of 5 passes, including a touchdown pass to Matt Jones. Del Rio has been cautious this year, more than normal. With high expectations for the team, reduced roster sizes without NFL Europa exemptions, and an experienced squad, the Jaguars have been less physical in camp this year, focusing more no the mental side of the game. So the next to last play of the scrimmage portion oft he evening was exactly what Del Rio wanted to avoid. As a mix of second and third teamers worked, rookie fullback Anthony Cotrone went down with a leg injury. Del Rio didn't have more specific information immediately following the scrimmage, but Cotrone was helped off the field and there is some concern that the injury could be a serious one. It's possible that a decision for a roster spot could have come down to Cotrone and fellow rookie Chauncey Washington. And just moments after Cotrone's injury, Washington took a hand-off, bounced to the outside, and out raced three defenders to the end zone. That was enough for Del Rio, who blew the horn ending the scrimmage, avoiding any other injuries. Injury Notes: Jack Del Rio got some good news on the injury front. Wide receiver Reggie Williams, who had his knee scoped, should be back before the end of the preseason, according to the head coach. Center Brad Meester, who had his injured biceps surgically repaired by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, could be back as soon as October. Until then, Dennis Norman will hold down the center spot.