Norman baffled by back-and-forth exchange with Bryant

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant butted heads all game long during Thursday's Thanksgiving game, culminating in a postgame showdown where they almost came to blows.

The feud didn't end there. Both players added fuel to the fire when speaking to the media, and Bryant took to Twitter to bash Norman's play in the game.

While the media has lapped up the back and forth, Norman believes it's been blown out of proportion.

"It just baffles me that we're going back and forth," Norman told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "I don't know if there really is anything to say. What am I going to go back and forth for? It's not a battle. It's not a competition when the other person don't show up. What am I competing against? I compete against myself every week."

Norman joined the Redskins this offseason, with the club making him the league's highest-paid cornerback. Bryant said Washington should look to get its money back after the game, but Norman wasn't impressed with the jab.

"Come on, man," Norman said. "Be original."

Norman argued that, while Dallas won the game, he won the individual matchup against Bryant. The numbers back that statement up, with Bryant catching 3-of-5 targets for 32 yards on the 15 plays he was covered by Norman.

"I have obstacles every week," Norman said. "This is just one of the matchups, just one of the obstacles. This is what he gets up for, not me. He's just another one of the guys that I face. One of the tall tasks they got me stacked up against."

The veteran cornerback said his feud with Bryant wasn't the same as the one with Odell Beckham Jr. because Bryant didn't have the performance to back up his talk, with the rest of the Cowboys mostly responsible for the victory.

"But it's not like he carries them," Norman said. "They carry themselves. That stuff he does, it's just extra antics."

"I hope we see them again," he added.