CB Norman to play starring role in Panthers' bid for South 'three-peat'
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Josh Norman is an adrenaline junky. He loves things that go fast, whether it's riding in a speedboat or hitting maximum speed on a jet ski.
He also gets that same sort of rush and feeling by shutting down the opposition's best receiver -- as a cornerback for the Carolina Panthers.
Norman -- entering his fourth NFL season -- is brash, bold and confident. He's never been afraid to say what he feels -- and the same holds true when discussing his teammates and coaches.
And that has gotten Norman in hot water a few times with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
Yet, he doesn't back down. That's why it should come as no surprise that Norman sees himself as being even better this upcoming season.
"I think every year is my year," Norman says. "I think you've got to think that, as a cornerback, because you want to be the best and you want to defeat the guys that are in front of you."
Norman is rather big for a cornerback. He stands 6-feet tall and weighs 195 pounds. He's physical and likes to mix it up.
He's also not afraid to make a tackle -- like so many other players at his position.
Last season, Norman perfectly summed up his aggressive attitude.
"When you're between those white lines, it's a dog's life out there," Norman says. "It's one of those things where it's feast or famine, and I ain't trying to be on no famine side."
In the latter portion of last season, Norman consistently stifled opposing wide receivers downfield, helping the Panthers reel off four straight victories and clinch the NFC South title.
And his best performance might have been the winner-take-all clash (division title-wise) against the Falcons in Week 17.
The Panthers needed to win that game to make the postseason and Norman had a primary assignment of Falcons receiver Julio Jones (104 catches/1,593 yards/6 TDs in 2014).
When the game ended, it was difficult to remember if Jones had even played, with Norman limiting Julio to four inconsequential catches and 58 yards. (Carolina rolled to a 34-3 victory.)
"Any time I'm matched up with anybody, I like to give them their due respect," says Norman. "I like to dissect them. I think it's very fun dissecting a player the week of the game and seeing what his tendencies are and what he likes to do.
"And I think for me, it's the competition to where, can I really stop what nobody else has done? Can I hold him to what nobody else has done? And if I can do that, then I can come back and take myself out for a treat, and that's like a movie and a dinner."
When asked, Norman (5th-round draft pick from Coastal Carolina) cannot remember what movie he treated himself to after dominating Jones last December.
This is a big season for Norman, financially speaking. He's in the last year of a rookie-scale contract and stands to make nearly $1.7 million in 2015. After that ... it's free agency.
There are 17 cornerbacks throughout the league that will make at least $7 million this season. If Norman has a dynamic campaign, general manager Dave Gettleman will have to clear more salary cap room -- outside of the space reserved for All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Norman firmly believes that going against Carolina's big, physical, athletic receivers in practice (Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess) has only made him better.
"When you get big guys that are like Mike Evans (of Tampa) and people that are in the NFC South and them big receivers, you want to match up with the best," Norman says. "And right now, it seems to me, the receiving corps we've got in this division is probably, bar none, the top right now."
