Dez Bryant and Josh Norman became very animated with one another when their two teams squared off on Thanksgiving Day, but the Washington cornerback feels the so-called feud between the two has been overblown. In fact, Norman says he enjoys his battles with another division foe much more than his matchups against Bryant.
In an interview with Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Norman said Bryant has never presented him with a big challenge.
“It just baffles me that we’re going back and forth,” the cornerback said. “I don’t know if there really is anything to say. What am I going to go back and forth for? It’s not a battle. It’s not a competition when the other person don’t show up. What am I competing against? I compete against myself every week.”
Bryant seems to think he got the best of Norman, but the numbers tell a different story. While Dez caught five passes for 72 yards in the Cowboys’ win, Pro Football Focus says he caught just three passes for 32 yards with Norman covering him. When the two teams met in Week 2, PFF had Bryant down for no catches on two targets while being covered by Norman.
Norman told Rapoport going up against Bryant is “not like with the guy from up in N.Y.,” referencing Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
“I have obstacles every week,” Norman said. “This is just one of the matchups, just one of the obstacles. This is what he gets up for, not me. He’s just another one of the guys that I face. One of the tall tasks they got me stacked up against.
“If you have a big impact, go off. But you didn’t.”
The war of words between Norman and Bryant continued after the whistle on Thursday, though Norman claims their postgame confrontation was sparked by a violent threat. At the end of the day, Dallas won the game. That should matter more to both Bryant and Norman than their one-on-one battle.
