Josh Norman's career in Carolina has been a fascinating bell curve. He started so strong, then got put in the dog house -- now he's looking every bit a player who could be a starting cornerback for the Panthers. One thing has remained constant despite this up-and-down trajectory, a willingness to talk -- now Norman is taking aim at Captain Munnerlyn.
The Panthers and Vikings are set to face off on Sunday, and it's natural that Munnerlyn would be a talking point after leaving Carolina this off season in pursuit of more money. While in Charlotte he was a good, but oft-misused cornerback who ended up getting far more money than his play warranted. The Panthers didn't see the value, and neither did Norman during his time with the veteran corner.
"I didn't take nothing from him. Nothing," Norman said last week. "We weren't very tight. Captain had me doing so much little petty stuff."
Norman spent the majority of his 10 minute interview slamming Munnerlyn, indicating that the lack of help he received made it more difficult for him to adjust to the NFL.
"He never wanted to help me out with anything. That's why I never asked him any questions. Once I got stuff wrong from asking him, I was like, ‘I'll find my own way around.' "
It's impossible to verify Norman's claims, though it is notable that he struggled to adjust to the NFL after a strong training camp and preseason. This makes it entirely plausible that his lack of readiness could be attributable to a lack of advice, or bad advice from veteran members of the secondary.
Munnerlyn is refuting Norman's claims, saying the comments hurt him.
"With him saying I never helped him, it kind of hurts," Munnerlyn said Saturday during a phone interview. "Me being there for his first two years, I know when Josh came to me with a question, I always helped him. And I never felt threatened about Josh at all. At the end of the day, coach is going to put the best player on the field and they're going to play."
The two players wont get to face off head-to-head on Sunday, but it will be interesting to see if words are exchanged.