A cornerstone of the Carolina Panthers' franchise-building philosophy is to bulk up on pass rushers and not pay heavily in the secondary. Dave Gettleman's plan has worked brilliantly.
With one of the fastest, deep front-sevens in the NFL, the Panthers have remained dominant on defense while shuffling through defensive backs like starlets go through lovers.
The Panthers stuck with their core belief in rescinding Josh Norman's franchise tag, refusing to pay the cornerback huge, long-term money.
No one is questioning the greatness of Carolina's defensive line, but now with the Washington Redskins, Norman wants the world to know, the Panthers' pass rush isn't what made him a shutdown corner.
"Those guys are great, man; they are a great pass rush," he said, via ESPN.com. "Who's going to say they're not? You got Star (Lotulelei), KK (Kawann Short). My goodness, those interior guys, I love them. They're my guys. Charles (Johnson) and Kony (Ealy). But I'm in Washington, D.C., with the Redskins, and so do we have good pass-rushers on the edge. Look at (Ryan) Kerrigan. We're going to get big Junior Galette back. Those are motors on the edge. Big-time motors.
"I'm so excited to be here. It's not that I came from a great defensive line that made me who I am. I am because I'm the guy you see on the field every week trying to be the best and better in my craft, and I got edge rushers like that out here. We'll see."
The Redskins spent the last two years bulking up the trenches, but there remain questions about the team's ability to get after the passer without blitzing.
Norman wants to prove he can shine outside of an advantageous situation in Carolina. He'll get that chance in Washington.