The Dark Knight Returns - Josh Norman is a Panther Once Again
When Jaycee Horn exited last week's game against the Detroit Lions with a wrist injury, the Panthers were unsure of how they would go about what they would do in the back end for the final two weeks of the season.
The one guy that probably nobody was thinking of, Josh Norman, ended up being the guy Carolina called. That call just so happened to be while Norman was on the clock at Omni Coffee & Eggs.
"I wasn't ever hoping (that a team would call). It was just the fact that I was just working. I was in a coffee shop (in Atlanta) working. It was pretty cool too. I was a barista, but that's a whole other story for another day. This part was, for me, it was just exciting because I knew it was only a matter of time. This came up, and like I said, I couldn't even write the script even better from what it is. You've got an opportunity here to do something great. All that time, I was sitting down and just reflecting on all of it. And when the time came, yeah, just going to be ready."
That coffee shop, believe it or not, is directly across the street from the cigar bar that Cam Newton owns, who had his own reunion with the Panthers just last year.
This time around, though, Norman won't be rocking the No. 24 jersey Panthers fans are accustomed to seeing him in. Fellow cornerback C.J. Henderson owns the right to that number and due to NFL's rules, players can not change jersey numbers after the season starts. Instead, Norman will be wearing No. 6. He explained his decision.
"Well, two plus four equals six," Norman said. "I think high school, it's one of those things that my family always wore six, even middle school up through high school. Twenty-four chose me when I went to college, and it chose me through the whole entire time I was in the league, just about. Then coming back here, six weeks to the big dance. Just a couple of things just come through your mind, and all these things just add up. So manifestation all is in that number. It's just one of those things that stuck with me along the way."
As one would expect, Norman will indeed be on a pitch count of sorts in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He hasn't played a game all season long and wasn't in camp with anyone in the preseason, so it's going to take some time for the 35-year-old vet to be the best version of himself.
"[He] moved around well," said interim head coach Steve Wilks following Norman's first day of practice. "Can't really tell you exactly off of one day what's going to happen at the end of the week. But I feel like he picked the defense up well. He had good movement. I'm excited about him moving forward. He's definitely not in game shape. I can promise you that. But he's definitely in shape the way he can move, plant, drive, change directions. So, when you start talking about game shape, you got to put a cap on the number of plays that he can possibly play."
With Jaycee Horn out a minimum of 10-12 days, the Panthers will start Keith Taylor Jr. in his place and work Norman in here and there. Wilks specifically stated that Norman will stay on the outside and not play any nickel. What that pitch count looks like is to be determined later in the week after conversations are had between Wilks, Norman, and the training staff.
Speaking of Wilks, he's largely the biggest reason Norman is back in Carolina. The two spent a lot of time together in the defensive backs room from 2012-15 and formed a tight-knit bond. Even then, Norman knew Wilks had what it took to not only be a head coach in this league but at a successful one.
"Honestly, man, like, I don't think y'all really noticed, but Steve's been ready for this opportunity for a long time. Even when I was here, he had that book – green book – he pulled out, like, 'I'm gonna be ready when my chance comes.' He had everything detailed and notes, and everything (was) set up when we were in the office sitting with him. So I just knew it was going to happen. And he manifested that thing 10 years ago, probably a little bit under that. But just to see it truly happen. He was born here, so it's an extra sting. And I think his story is something for the ages. And I'm sure he will write his tale one day, but it was quite special to see him actually do it. He was in the league with the Cardinals, and then he went to college, then came back, and then it happened just like that. He's the man."
Now, Wilks and Norman are looking to do something that hasn't been done since they were a part of the team's Super Bowl run in 2015 - win the NFC South.
"Well, the plot would just be a little bit thicker, now wouldn't it? I think that it would mean everything because you look at the guys that came with me and before me – Julius (Peppers), Dan Morgan, like all those guys, and even like Luke Kuechly, Charles Johnson, Roman Harper, Kirk Coleman, Peanut (Charles Tillman), all those guys. You can't really write a script like that. But I carry all that with me, too, in a sense, because all those guys played here. And they were a part of that championship, so you know what it feels like not to win it. And so if we get an opportunity, you know, we're going to do everything we can to get us to the point, that's for sure."
To do that, though, the Panthers will have to win its final two games of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints - a pair of organizations Norman has a lot of familiarity with although there are several new faces on each team since he was last in the division. Most notably, Tom Brady.
"He's the greatest player at that position. I think it's going to be cool. I got tons of respect for that guy. He knows that. We're good friends. So I'm looking forward to it. And I'm sure he will be too. A lot on the line, a lot at stake. So we're going to have fun, that's for sure."
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