The Jacksonville Jaguars today placed G/OT Jeff Novak on injured reserve and activated G Mark Nori from the practice squad. They also signed C/G Brock Gutierrez to the practice squad.
Novak suffered a back injury last Monday while lifting weights. He had played in four games this season, all on special teams, after missing the first seven games with a leg contusion. Novak is one of 22 players who have been with the team since 1995. He has seen action at left guard, right guard and left tackle, starting 15 of 32 games played.
Nori, 24, was signed to the Jaguars' roster for the final two games of 1997 from the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad, though he did not see any action. He was waived in the final cuts on August 30 and signed to the practice squad the next day. Nori was recruited to Boston College by Tom Coughlin in 1992.
Gutierrez (pronounced goo-TARE-ez) is a third-year pro who can play both center and guard. He played in five games (no starts) for the Bengals in 1996 and '97 after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie. He was waived during the preseason and re-signed prior to the Bengals' November 8 game against the Jaguars, then waived two weeks later. The 25-year-old Gutierrez started for three seasons at Central Michigan and is a native of Charlotte, Mich., where he was all-state in football and wrestling.
