Carolina has yet to play a snap in Super Bowl 50, but Panthers cornerback Josh Norman is already keeping score.
"I watch," said Norman after Sunday's 49-15 NFC title game thrashing of Arizona, per the New York Daily News. "I'm not dumb to what goes on. So all them guys that's sitting up there picking the Cardinals, great. And thinking that they're gonna blow us out because we've never seen a wide receiving corps like that, great.
"Look at what we showed today," Norman said. "We could have put a 50-burger up there! Coach pulled us back!"Â
Norman has played with a chip on his shoulder all year, putting together a remarkable campaign for a Carolina defense that led the NFL in takeaways before coaxing four picks and a pair of fumbles out of Cardinals passer Carson Palmer.
"You don't put up 49 points by just getting out of bed in the morning. You do it by hard work," Norman said. "People still saying this is a fluke. I'm sure they're going to go back and say, 'Well, the Cardinals had an off night.' You know what, continue to make excuses for teams. We enjoy it. We love it."
It's unclear who Norman is pointing to at this stage. The Panthers are widely seen as the NFL's best team and a clear favorite over the Broncos heading into Super Bowl 50.
Still, fellow defensive back Kurt Coleman agreed, arguing that in "every game we've been an underdog," while safety Tre Boston came out of Sunday echoing Norman's complaints of disrespect from the pundits.
"We take balls from quarterbacks. That's what we do. Why do you expect less from the Carolina defense?" Boston asked, per the New York Post. "We led the league in takeaways. We're a top defense. Why are people so unexpecting our accomplishments? Why are they asking us questions? Did Carson not play his 'A' game? We are a great defense led by great leaders."
Hey, agitated Super Bowl-bound Panthers players: We believe you.
