This may shock you, but Josh Norman does not share his head coach's restraint.
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott recently insisted the New England Patriots still are the AFC East favorites in 2020 despite losing quarterback Tom Brady to free agency.
But when Norman was asked to share the outlook of the club he joined in free agency this March, he was considerably more bullish on the Bills.
In fact, the veteran cornerback would have been confident in Buffalo's chances to win the East even if Brady was still in New England.
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"With or without him being there, we was going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Norman told TMZ Sports. "Coming in, I know the philosophy of the head coach and the GM already. Mindset-wise, it didn’t matter who was at the quarterback position for the opposing team. It was just going to be about us and not nobody else.
"That’s what I think the mindset going into this year is all about: Separating yourself from the pack. Going out there and doing your thing, worrying about you, and don’t concern yourself with anybody else."
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We'll just remind Norman that Buffalo beat New England four times total during the Brady era and lost to the Patriots twice last season despite going 10-6.
Either way, ex-Bills coach Rex Ryan would be proud of the outspoken cornerback.
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Norman does have reason to be confident: The Bills added himself and talented wide receiver Stefon Diggs to an improving club that recorded its best regular season since 1999 and boasted the NFL's second-best scoring defense in 2019.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are expected to roll out 23-year-old Jarrett Stidham at quarterback and failed to win the division the last time Brady wasn't their starting QB (2008).
Then again, New England has won 11 straight AFC East titles and still employs the greatest head coach of all time in Bill Belichick. The Patriots are also still the current favorites to win the AFC East at DraftKings Sportsbook, which could be a warning sign for those predicting their demise.
Apparently Norman is among them.
