Washington Redskins corner Josh Norman learned what he needed to know about Steve Smith Sr. in their two seasons together. Norman was a young corner, trying to win a job. Smith was a veteran, one who always wanted to prove himself.
So they battled in practice.
"Lion against lion, dog against a dog, beast against beast," Norman said of those times. "His will imposed upon mine, mine imposed upon his. Trying to see who gets the best of each other that day. Always trying to steal your food and take your dog kind of matchup. It was fun, and it was definitely challenging."
That's why there won't be any surprises for Norman on Sunday when he faces Smith, his former teammate in Carolina and now a Baltimore Ravens receiver. Norman, 28, has spent the past two games shadowing the opposition's best receiver, so there's a good chance he'll do so for a third game.
Not that Smith, 37, feels that's necessary.
"I don't know why he'd match up with me, old-ass receiver," he joked in a conference call.
But Norman said he learned while facing Smith in practice in 2012-13 how much Smith liked to get in cornerbacks' heads.
"That's his game, man," Norman said. "He plays that game better than anybody. It's like a defensive foe playing offense. That's what he is. He will take you out of your game mentally, physically and he'll let you know about it after the fact. That's what he does. That's my type of guy. That's when the game becomes fun. Love it."
They did play some against one another in 2014 when Norman was still with Carolina. But the practices stood out to Norman more than the game.
And Norman said he learned how to compete even harder.
"We had tussles here and there," he said. "It was expected. But that guy will take your heart away if you allow him to. He will be hunting to get one over you, and if he does, he's going to let you know about it. For me, I just have to be smart and keen and cunning and play the game."
Norman has grown since he was Smith's teammate, developing into an All-Pro corner last season and the highest-paid player at his position, thanks to his new contract with Washington in April.
But Smith, who said he views Norman as a little brother, knows why that happened. Smith said there would be times in Carolina when he'd go into the receivers' meeting room, only to see Norman in there watching film. The defensive backs' room was too crowded, and Norman wanted to watch film somewhere. For Smith, though, the point was this: Norman was doing his work.
"He wasn't a Pro Bowler when he first came in," Smith said. "He was a guy, like every other young guy, trying to figure out which way is up. He's developed into the player that he is."
But what Smith isn't worried about is all the attention Norman now receives. He said the Norman shown on television isn't the Norman that he knows.
Then again, it's not as if Smith pays much attention to it, showing how they're at two different stages of life.
"I have a 2-year-old, so I’m not watching TV like that," Smith said. "Josh Norman doesn't take over my television more than 'Bubble Guppies' and 'Dora the Explorer.'"
