When Eric Norwood finally made the NFL, drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, it wasn’t exactly what he expected. He was coming off of a First Team All-American season as a linebacker for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. The season before that he was First Team All-SEC in his first full year as a linebacker. The two seasons before that he was First Team All-SEC and a First Team Freshman All American as defensive end. The multi-tool player was not used to being just another player.
“Honestly my first year (in the NFL), it kind of set me back. The majority of my life I was really used to being “that guy”, then when I had to take a back seat and play special teams. It took me a while to adjust. I was definitely grateful for the opportunity and definitely learned a lot, but it was different at first.”
But there was a positive to be gained out of the experience. “It helped my transition to the CFL in terms of carrying myself as a Pro.”
Norwood’s transition the CFL would not be an immediate one. After the Panthers cut him in the 2012 preseason, he latched on to the United Football League’s (UFL) Virginia Destroyers. “Football-wise it was great, the on field experience was great, my defensive line coach, Tim Krumrie, is probably one of the best line coaches I have ever had the chance to learn from.”
But the UFL, like most secondary football leagues in the United States, was struggling financially, and soon folded. “We didn’t get paid for about two years, went through lawsuits and all that. It wasn’t good… It was a real shit show.”
In 2013, after a brief stint in the Arena Football League, Norwood signed on with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 17 games that rookie season he racked up 41 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble. The Ticats also made a run all the way to the Grey Cup to play the home town Saskatchewan Roughriders. And despite all his personal success and the fact that it was Norwood’s first championship game at any level, it made him consider a career change.
“It was super cold all week. I had to question myself if I wanted to keep playing football because it was so damn cold. The game was crazy though, I have never played in a game like that before. Overall it was a great experience because I had never played in a championship game in my whole life. I enjoyed it I had a good game, but we did get demolished as a team.”
In 2014, in 15 games and another return to the Grey Cup, Norwood amassed 45 tackles, 13 sacks, and two forced fumbles. 2015 was expected to be a better year, but injuries piled up; yet with only 10 games played, he still managed to tally 28 tackles, 7 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns.
Norwood’s 2015 season ended during the East semi-final against the Toronto Argonauts. He tore his ACL, putting his 2016 in doubt. Hamilton cut him during his recovery; he hopes to return to the field in mid-July. But Norwood holds no ill will. “I am grateful for the opportunity that Hamilton gave me for those three years, I became a better player. So I have no resentment towards them at all.”
He is excited to be in Regina and to be a part of Rider Nation. “To be in [Regina] Saskatchewan, which I think is the premier football city in Canada, without a doubt its going to be great. The fans have already welcomed me in with open arms and I am ready to come and go to work. Show them that I am one of the premier pass rushers in the league.”
Being part of a three-pronged defensive end pass rush with Shawn Lemon and Justin Capiciotti doesn’t bother him either. “I think [the coaching staff] will be able to use all three of us on the field at the same time. I’ll play linebacker, I’ll play defensive end, I’ll even play defensive tackle. Whatever it is, I am one of those guys that is versatile, and [Lemon and Capiciotti] can move around as well. I think that we will work well together.
“It’s competition but at the same time you have to be willing to help guys, that’s when you know you are true leader and a real true player. You want to help guys succeed because its only going to help the team more and more.” Norwood explains, “If a rookie guy comes in and is trying to take my spot, the more he knows the better it is for the team. I’m not really a me guy, I am a team guy.”
In the end, he is able to put the season in perspective, “Try to win a Grey Cup…That’s the only thing we are here for, is to win.”
Main Photo:
