SB Nation - Dennis Norman

Horse Tracks 9/17/09 - Kyle Orton still begloved; Champ & BDawk held out of practice but expected to play Sunday

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:42:47 -0000

DPP - Orton, offense look to fix mistakes - Lindsay Jones
Kyle Orton practiced with a glove again Wednesday; not surprisingly, the offensive players were not pleased with what they saw on film from Sunday.

DPP - Browns returner Cribbs to test coverage Units - Jeff Legwold
Although Jarvis Moss was inactive Sunday, he donned a black jersey yesterday along with Darrell Reid and Tom Brandstater in recognition for their exemplary work in practice last week. Champ and BDawk did not practice yesterday, while Josh Barrett did.

ESPN - Youth might dictate new hiring model - Jeffri Chadiha

DB - New Year, New Teams - Gray Caldwell
Looking at all that's changed since the last time the Broncos and Browns faced off. For Andra Davis, it's an early matchup versus the team he spent seven years with.

DB - Week 2: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Week 2 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 2 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

CBS4 - Elway Thinks Orton Will Be Better As Time Goes On - Vic Lombardi

AP - Brian Dawkins Provides Energy Boost To Denver's Defense - Arnie Stapleton

PFW - Week Two matchup tidbits

DB - Buying Into His System - Chris Gentilviso

TC - Coaching in McDaniels’ blood from start - Mike McLain

DPP - Coaching's M&M connection - Mike Klis
Eric Mangini yesterday spoke of his former assistant Josh McDaniels.

DPP - Analysis: Running game needs boost - Jeff Legwold

DP - Broncos work out punters - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Neck injury limits Browns RB Lewis during practice

DPP - Question: How are Broncos' Dumervil, defensive front-liners progressing? - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Orton says he may keep glove on throwing hand for Sunday - Frank Schwab

CSG _ Broncos notes: Moreno not pleased with debut - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos' Orton trusts his head more than his arm - Frank Schwab

DP - Mailbag: The state of CU football - Woody Paige

DP - Numbers: Broncos through the years
Denver's record by decade

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns Preview - Chris Tanaka
Tanaka predicts Denver by a TD

DB - One in a Row! - Mark Cooper

ESPN - NFL: Schedule working against AFC West hopefuls - John Clayton
Oh, this is rich. John Clayton reminds us that he predicted but 3 victories for the Broncos in '09. Now he's preparing us by saying that even a 3-0 start for Denver could be followed by an 8-game losing streak.

Browns News

CPD - Braylon Edwards, Brady Quinn working to 'stay on the same page' for Cleveland Browns this season - Tony Grossi

CPD - Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi break down Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos: Video

CPD - Broncos' McDaniels says Brady Quinn was never part of Jay Cutler trade talks: Browns Insider - Mary Kay Cabot

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Brady Quinn Wednesday press conference

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Wednesday quotes from Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis and Brandon McDonald

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini Wednesday press conference

CPD - Branson Wright interviews Cleveland Browns receiver/kick returner Josh Cribbs

CPD - Cleveland Browns release Leon Williams - Tony Grossi

NH - Browns notes: McDonald eager to avoid Royal letdown - Jeff Schudel

AFC West News

NFL - Bum ankle leaves L.T. limping in a boot, but he's confident he's OK

SDUT - Bolts have options if LT stays hobbled - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Chargers sign versatile lineman - Kevin Acee
The Dolts added former Jags OL Dennis Norman.

SDUT - Scouting the Ravens

SFC - Raiders rookie says he did his job - David White

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Javon Walker lives - David White
Javon will be Jokeland's third WR and backup PR this week.

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Miller time is over, for now - David White

NFL - Cassel tests left knee at Chiefs' practice, could play Sunday

KCS - Chiefs want Wade in the mix quickly - Adam Teicher

NFL - WR Lance Long claimed off waivers by Chiefs

KCS - Chiefs notes: Haley says Cassel looks better - Kent Babb

NFL News

NFL - NFL fines Jets, Mangini $125K total for breaking injury report rules

NFL - Eagles' McNabb held out of practice; status for Sunday still unknown

NFL - Bills starting LB Posluszny out six weeks after breaking left arm

NFL - Two teens admit to vandalizing Bills CB McKelvin's lawn

KHOU - Texans sign former UH star RB Alridge

NFL Opinion

NFL - No-huddle offense appears to be making a comeback - Pat Kirwan

Y! - Patriots, Cardinals have cause for concern - Charles Robinson

NFP - Tavern talk: What QBs will be left standing? - Mike Lombardi

NFP - NFL notes: Change in store for Saints, Eagles - Matt Bowen

NFP - Wednesday whys: The reason for veteran signings - Andrew Brandt

SI - Mark Sanchez is one reason Week 1 conclusions are bad - Ross Tucker

SI - Tony Romo attacks NFL's passing efficiency records - Kerry J. Byrne

SI - Miami Dolphins' Ricky Williams making most of second chance - Dave Hyde

Are the Jaguars a Young Team?

Tkopa — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:59:27 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

Jaguars 2008 number 8 overall selection Derrick Harvey represents the youth of the Jaguars. Players such as himself must succeed for the team to follow suit.

Browse more photos »

"We’ve taken a very aggressive approach at it; the amount of turnover is unusually large and you can’t continue to do that and have much success. Part of that was moving on, purging guys that just didn’t fit," Del Rio said. "We do have a young team."

I read that and nodded, yes they are a young team. But, then I thought about it. "Hey wait a minute, what does that actually mean?" I thought. A young college team is freshmen and sophomores that probably won't contend for the National Title, I get that. Is a young pro team a lot of rookies? Is it a lot of first and second year guys? What exactly is Jack telling us? I really don't know so I'll leave that question for the comments. Let's look at who the Jaguars kept, and what youth there is on the squad.

Offensive Line: The preseason starting lineup has been Tra Thomas (12th year), Vince Manuwai (7th year), Brad Meester (10th year), Mo Williams (9th year), Uche Nwaneri (3rd year), Tony Pashos (7th year) and Dennis Norman (9th year). I know they want to work Eben Britton and Eugene Monroe in but they should have to earn a spot over a lower performing veteran. I don't see a young team here; in fact this is a group of veterans that should be dependable.

Offensive Backfield: David Garrard is the QB (8th year), Gregg Jones at FB (6th year), Maurice Jones Drew RB (4th year). If you include Tight Ends, we have Marcedes Lewis (4th year), Ernest Wilford (6th year), Greg Estandia (3rd year). Again, a strong group of veterans that should be ready on game day, in fact climbing into their most productive years.

Receivers: Torry Holt is the number one receiver (11th year), Troy Williamson is number two (5th year), number three receiver will probably be a rookie.

Offensive Summary: One guy on the starting offensive team will be a rookie. If they decide to go with Monroe and Britton, they will have dependable veterans right behind them. To be honest, unless there is a problem with the players on this team, this amount of experience on offense should be able to deliver a competitive performance.

Let's look at the defense.

Defensive line: John Henderson (8th year), Reggie Hayward (9th year), Derrick Harvey (2nd year), Quentin Groves (2nd year), Terrance Knighton (1st year), Derek Landri (3rd year), Rob Meier (10th year). Basically I see a nice mix of veterans and youth in here with most of the youth represented by second year guys, Groves and Harvey. I can give a slight nod to youth here, but not inexperience. This line is not as seasoned as the offensive line but is a nice combination of fresh legs and wisdom.

Linebackers: Daryl Smith (6th year), Justin Durant (3rd year), and Clint Ingram (4th year). Brian Iwuh (4th year), Adam Seward (5th year) all represent the core of the lineup. There is nothing but experience in this group and should represent an easy bunch to coach to be productive.

Defensive Backfield: The starters look to be Rashean Mathis (7th year), Brian Williams (8th year), Reggie Nelson (3rd year), Gerald Alexander (3rd year), Sean Considine (5th year) Tyron Brackenridge (3rd year), Scott Starks (5th year), Brian Witherspoon (3rd year) and Derek Cox (rookie). I know they would like to integrate Derek Cox into the lineup but the basic starting lineup will have 3 years or more experience.

Defensive Summary: Harvey, Groves and Knighton represent the true youth in the defense and the line is on the younger side. Other than that, the backfield has a strong mix of experience and should know what is expected. Maybe a slight nod to lack of playing experience?

My Take: When I looked at it, I was surprised at how much experience the Jaguars have. They don't resemble a young college team. If we can't post 8 wins with this group, Gene has more work to do. A lot more.

So help me understand, what do you think Jack is trying to say?

- Terry O'Brien

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

River City Rage — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:22:22 -0000

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 injuries to the Jaguars offensive line and how it offers little excuse for the late season meltdown that sent the team on a rocketship toward rebuilding. On the other side, Football Outsiders, the statistics guru's of the NFL, determined that no team missed more time for injuries than the Jaguars, and that they should be ripe for a comeback in 2009.

Going back to Joyner's article, he uses a system that tracks how many time an offensive lineman was the key player in a run play, and the success rate of said lineman to come up with a percentage.

LT - Khalif Barnes - 88 POA runs, 66 POA wins, 75.0% POA win rate

LG - Uche Nwaneri - 134 POA runs, 111 POA wins, 82.8% POA win rate

C - Brad Meester - 72 POA runs, 62 POA wins, 86.1% POA win rate

RG - Dennis Norman - 147 POA runs, 125 POA wins, 85.0% POA win rate

RT - Tony Pashos - 143 POA runs, 123 POA wins, 86.0% POA win rate

Per his metrics, having three blockers with a POA win rate of over 85% is good, especially considering the injuries on the line. He correctly calls out Barnes as the "weakest link", though he distinguishes that his performance was not injury related. I would argue that having the players on the inside replaced would probably have a detrimental effect on his numbers, but that's for another post.

What I find problematic about these numbers is that they simply do not match the product that we saw on the field. Sure, these measurements show that the Jaguars offensive line was effective, but when statistics are vastly different than the "gut impression", it draws into question the very validity of the numbers. Statistics driven analysis is fantastic and something that the NFL has lacked, but there are some elements that require some work. One is in tracking the offensive line. Without game film like the coaches see, it's very difficult to follow the offensive line play. The camera follows the ball and the quarterback, and often hides the nuances of offensive line play. The end zone camera position gives us the best view of holes and cut back lanes, but the general broadcast camera position is horrible at showing who did what in a particular play. Until the NFL decides that fans and the media can have regular access to the end zone camera, it's going to be hard to create an accurate measurement.

But I'm seriously digressing from my point. David Garrard went from one of the least sacked and least mistake prone quarterbacks in 2007, to one of the most sacked in 2008. The Jaguars running game went from being an iconic factor in games to an afterthought, as David was forced into 3rd and long over and over and over again. We watched the games, we saw the line play, we saw the holes close, we saw Fred and Jones-Drew struggle, and yet we are supposed to believe that the statistics say that the offensive line was good, and that the Jaguars had a case of the funk and fell off the grid?

That's exactly what Joyner argues:

A. Management and/or the coaches were feeding this line of thinking to the announcers to take the heat off a team that had badly underachieved, and
B. This mind-set eventually made its way through to the team itself

Thought A came to mind because Jack Del Rio strikes me as a media-savvy coach who is good at helping to steer story lines in a direction of his choosing. The sense my scouting eye got is that the announcers bought into the injury story, but, unfortunately for Del Rio, so did his players. They kept hearing the press say that their injuries were the reason for the downfall and they might have ended up believing it. Deep down, I think the team knew that injuries weren’t killing the offense, but when the players heard the excuse being used elsewhere, they were free to jump on that bandwagon.

What he argues, in my opinion, is absurd. If, and that's a strong word, but if it's true that the team attempted to score a PR "win" by blaming the season on the injuries and that Del Rio let that mindset change the team from a "next man up" to a "quit and lay down", than Del Rio should have joined James Harris and left the team. But I don't buy it. Did the Jaguars have a boat-load of problems in the locker room? Absolutely. Was it because the team bought into it's own negitive hype? I just don't think so.

Statistics, as we know, can tell the same story with different conclusions: Take Football Outsiders, for example:

Jacksonville had a 1.9% DVOA, and their expected win total was 8.9 -- shocking, perhaps, but a function of their underlying performance. A 1.9% DVOA is pretty good: 26 other teams since 1994 (the earliest year we've calculated DVOA for) have had a DVOA between 1% and 3%. Of those 26 teams, exactly one won as few as five games: The 2003 Jaguars, who promptly won nine games the next season. The average team in that range won 8.5 games.

Furthermore, the Jaguars had a lot of injuries last year. By our injury metric, Adjusted Games Lost (which takes into account historical injury rates for a given role/position on the injury report and the player's role as a starter or reserve on the team), the Jaguars were the tenth-most injured team in the league last year. Injuries tend to regress to league average, which is another positive indicator for the Jaguars; a team's AGL has a .26 correlation with the change in wins in subsequent seasons.

So, which is it? Injuries or being psyched out?

I'd like to see what ya'll think of this. Why do you think the Jaguars fell apart last season?

Quick Bytes: Chad Slaughter and Milford Brown become Jacksonville Jaguars

River City Rage — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:59:17 -0000

Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

So I just finished re-watching the Jaguars-Titans game and it honestly was not as bad as I had thought. Defense and Special Teams were outstanding and kept the game within reach. Vince Young continued to prove that he's not ready to be a team leader, and the Jaguars start the season much like last year, 0-1.

Of course, there's a teeny-weenie problem with our offensive line. Specifically the absence of any left and right guards. How important could that be to a team that likes to run the ball?

: The first issue the Jaguars had to address was figuring out who to bring in to fill out the Jaguars depth on the offensive line. The Jaguars signed OG Milford Brown and OT Chad Slaughter, players that are best described as journeymen, to say the least. Milford was most recently seeing game action with the St. Louis Rams when they suffered an offensive line massacre. Ryan of Turf Show Times, the SB Nation St. Louis Rams Blog, had this to say about Milford:

Ah, Milford Brown. His tenure in St. Louis was brief and unmemorable. The Rams never got much going up the middle last season and upgraded this year. Brown was let go and the Rams turned to two rookies from the 2008 draft to fill in the depth chart. He certainly didn't look like starter material with the Rams last season, but neither was anyone else around him on the line which could color my view.

So there's that.

: Chad Slaughter is a little more interesting. First off, he's big, 6-8, 340lbs, so he can certainly fill some space. Second, he's a tackle, not a guard, which helps back up Barnes, though still raises some questions about what happens in the middle of the line. Mo Williams and Vince Manuwai are beasts as run blockers, can Slaughter get into the rotation and be effective?

: Perspective time. Think ahead a few weeks, Brad Meester comes back, which means that Dennis Norman can play guard, which makes our line look like Barnes, Norman, Meester, Nwaneri, and Pashos, which is a pretty solid line, albeit one that has zero margin of error. The Jaguars have next to nothing on the shelf on the line and the injuries put into question the very key to what the Jaguars do.

That said, adversity brings good things out of teams. So have faith.

: The Jacksonville Police Department say that Richard Collier was "targeted". Jaguars players and Richard's family have inreased the reward for information from $1,000 to $10,000. Richard is considered to be in critical but stable condition.

:WTF is going on with Vince Young?

-Chris

Poll

Who had a worse day on Sunday

Houston Texans

34 votes

Indianapolis Colts

30 votes

Jacksonville Jaguars

69 votes

New England Patriots

127 votes

260 votes | Poll has closed