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Panthers' Josh Norman said he had to go Dark Knight on Dez Bryant

Eric Edholm

For all the talk of Cam Newton's bravado and charisma, there's another Carolina Panthers player who has both in spades — and also can back it up.

It has been a coming-out party this season for pending free agent Josh Norman, who quickly has established himself as one of the league's most impressive cover men and talkers. In Thursday's destruction of the Dallas Cowboys, Norman did a number on wide receiver Dez Bryant, holding him to two catches for six yards when the two were matched up (Norman didn't follow Bryant when he went into the slot).

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And then after the game, Norman took out his flamethrower and finished Bryant off a second time. The two could be seen jawing from before the first snap of the game, and it's clear who won this battle.

"He shouldn't have started [talking] pregame," Norman said, via Black And Blue Review. "... The stuff that he was talking was outrageous. They came back and told me. I put my thinking cap on and I went to work.

"I went to a dark place. I went to the bat cave. I went Dark Knight on him."

Perhaps the best indication of their personal engagement was on Tony Romo's first interception 59 seconds into the game, which was run back by Panthers safety Kurt Coleman for a touchdown. Although Bryant and Norman were a bit removed from the play, neither even attempted to engage themselves in blocking or tackllng on the return — they were too busy jawing in each other's faces.

"The disrespect was just like through the roof. Like I said, I had to go watch [the movie] '300' because of it," Norman said. "I had to get myself physically and mentally prepared and amped up to the points where I didn't want him to catch a single ball."

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Norman, mind you, is pretty much gritting his teeth at this point. But then he smiled when he talked about Bryant and Miami Dolphins corner Brent Grimes swapping jerseys after last week's game.

"I don't know if he'll want my jersey now, but I'll give it to him," Norman said.

So if Bryant, who signed a five-year extension in the offseason, is worth $70 million how much is Norman worth next year in free agency? Not sure, but Norman — per the Dallas Morning News — said the Cowboys “need to get Dez’s 70 mil back.”

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!