Inside the Carolina Panthers' locker room Wednesday afternoon, cornerback Josh Norman went first.

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for him," he said of Saints quarterback Drew Brees. "He will go down in the Hall of Fame one day."

About two and a half hours later, Brees countered during a conference call with Carolina media.

"In my opinion, he deserves to be in consideration for Defensive MVP," Brees said of Norman.

In between the lovefest, Saints coach Sean Payton chimed in:

"[Norman's] got outstanding hands, long levers. He's just playing at such a high level right now and with such confidence."

Payton saw those levers up close two months ago when Norman leapt and arched backward to grab a jaw-dropping, gave-saving interception against the Saints in Week 3.

 

 

"It was one of those things that really started opening other peoples' eyes, like, 'Man, this guy's pretty for real,'" Norman said. "But I always knew it. I always knew and believed in myself and my abilities and what I'm capable of."

That he kept believing despite multiple benchings his first two seasons is just part of Norman's story. Turning himself into the type of talent a potential Hall of Famer says is MVP-worthy is another.

"I remember him going back to 2012 and I know that his start there in Carolina was kind of, in and out of the lineup," Brees recalled. "But I always felt like there was something about him and he was going to be a really good player."

Their first meeting was Norman's second career game, a 35-27 Panthers' win in 2012. Later that year, he fell into the coaches' doghouse and played only special teams when Carolina finished the season in New Orleans.

In 2013, Norman again had to watch while the defense helped split the series with the Saints.

But after the light bulb stayed on last year, Norman was in the starting lineup for another split. And during the rematch in New Orleans — the game that started Carolina's current 15-game regular-season win streak — Brees recognized the secondary's new spark.

"I just saw a confidence in [Norman] that was different," Brees said. "Obviously he's played at an extremely high level from that point until now."

"In my opinion, he's as complete a corner as there is. He's as good in zone as he is in man, and he's as good at making tackles and doing things in the run game as he is in covering. So I think that's rare to see in a top-flight corner."

Because Brees was out with a shoulder injury in Week 3, the two haven't faced each other since last December. As highlight-worthy as Norman's interception was, it was against a backup quarterback known more for a cellphone commercial than anything on the field. Brees has been in plenty of ads himself over the years, but he's also a good bet to land in Canton one day, and that's the type of challenge that makes Norman giddy.

"Every time I get a chance to go up against him, I'm happy, I'm excited because I know it's going to be a good contest," he said, flashing a big smile. "I just like playing him."