ASHBURN, Va. -- Steve Smith doesnt see the same Josh Norman everyone else sees.The veteran Baltimore Ravens receiver remembers the young cornerback hed always run into in the film room back when they were Carolina Panthers teammates, the man he considers almost like a little brother. Smith knows Norman has become a top-tier, elite, All-Pro, Pro Bowl cornerback -- one the Washington Redskins are thankful they picked up when the Panthers relinquished the franchise tag and let him go.Its difficult to imagine where the Redskins would be a quarter of the way through the season without Norman, whom they signed to a $75 million, five-year deal in April. As injuries have decimated the defense and especially the secondary, Norman is among the NFL leaders in passes defensed and had a key interception against Cleveland to help Washington improve to 2-2.That was the reason we brought him in because hes always around the ball, coach Jay Gruden said. He makes plays. Hes forced fumbles, hes recovered fumbles, and hes got a big interception so far in four games. He makes his presence felt, presence known. Thats why we went out and got him.Norman is proving his value as a shutdown cornerback and will be tested again Sunday against Smith and the Ravens in Baltimore. Whether Norman matches up against Smith or Mike Wallace, the onus is on him to make plays, especially with No. 2 cornerback Bashaud Breeland out for a second consecutive week because of an ankle injury.Smith, now 37, doesnt pay attention to the TV specials or magazine articles that have increased Normans national exposure. But hes noticed the 28-year-olds rise as one of the more imposing defenders in the game.I mean, hes a Pro Bowler. Thats self-explanatory, Smith said. He wasnt a Pro Bowler when he first came on the scene. He was a guy, like every other young guy, trying to figure out which way is up. Hes developed into the player that he is.Norman, an All-Pro who helped get Carolina to the Super Bowl last season with four interceptions, believes hes still developing and adding new skills each season to keep opponents off guard.Smith wont be caught off guard by Norman or vice versa. Epic practice matchups in 2012 and 2013 made each player better, as Norman said he learned from their on-field tussles.Every time youre out there is a time to get better, every play, Norman said. Theres not a time to take off because hes going to be hunting to get one up over you, and when he does, hes going to let you know about it. For me, I know Ive just got to be smart and be keen and cunning.Norman has talked the talk against a receiver known for trash-talking as much as he does. Smith said jokingly that the Ravens wouldnt put him up against Norman, a preemptive jab that Norman brushed off because hes relishing the chance to resume this one-on-one rivalry.A lion against a lion, a dog against a dog, a beast against a beast, man, Norman said. His will imposing upon mine and mine imposing upon him and trying to edge out and see who can get the best of each other that day. It was always a trying to steal your food, eat your food, take your dog plate kind of matchup. It was fun and it was definitely challenging. I know what I face when I get him.Opponents know what they face in Norman, whos tied for second in the NFL with nine passes defensed. Quarterback Joe Flacco could look long and hard to the other side and throw at fill-in starter Quinton Dunbar as part of Baltimores plan.Theres a significant number of weeks during the year that you go against a top-level corner like Josh, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. You have to always account for those guys. Those guys are the guys that can turn the game and they do it. You have to try to figure out ways to not let that happen.Game notes In addition to Breeland, CB Dashaun Phillips (hamstring), LB Sua Cravens (concussion) and WR Josh Doctson (Achilles) are out Sunday. ... Doctson wont go on injured reserve yet, Gruden said, even though the first-round pick has been bothered by the sore Achilles tendon since May.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Authentic Custom Jerseys . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Custom Baseball Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. http://www.customjerseysnearme.com/custom-college-jerseys-246h.html . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. Clearance Custom Jerseys . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Custom Hockey Jerseys . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The NFLs news of the week broke Monday in Los Angeles, 3,000 miles from where the New England Patriots offense would dismantle the Baltimore Ravens top-ranked defense about six hours later. The news reverberated across the continent and back. Jeff Fisher was out as Rams coach, and its entirely possible that the guy who ends up replacing him is the guy running that Patriots offense.He is Josh McDaniels, 40-year-old failed former Broncos head coach and redeemed New England wunderkind, and hes ready for another shot at the big job.McDaniels declined to discuss the issue Tuesday, saying he was focused on getting the Patriots ready to play his former team Sunday, and thats what youd expect him to say. Even if they want to, the Rams couldnt interview him until the playoff bye week, assuming the Patriots get a bye, or the week after, if they dont.But McDaniels is going to be among the hottest head-coaching candidates when that cycle opens up next month, and the Rams job is going to be appealing for a number of reasons: big market, top young quarterback prospect, stars at running back and on the defensive line, and patient ownership willing to spend, among others. McDaniels and Los Angeles are a match that makes sense, and this wont be the last time you read about it.McDaniels Xs-and-Os credentials are flawless. What he has accomplished as the Patriots offensive coordinator this season speaks for itself. That the Patriots went 3-1 without Tom Brady the first four weeks of the season, scoring 81 points in those three victories, is a testament to his creativity and problem-solving ability. The creativity continues to be on display with Brady back. Monday nights victory was a masterpiece of tempo-shifting scheme creativity that maximizes matchups and keeps the Patriots multiple steps ahead of their opponents as games go along. The Patriots defense seems to be taking all season to come together the way the team hoped it would, so theres more pressure than ever on the offense to carry this team into and through the postseason.But a great coordinator does not automatically a great head coach make, and McDaniels is going to have to answer questions from interested teams about what went wrong in Denver and what he learned from it. Those who know him well say he knows that and is prepared with answers.McDaniels was 33 when the Broncos hirred him as a head coach and gave him significant control over the roster.ddddddddddddPut simply, he wasnt ready. He went 8-8 in 2009, then fell off to 3-9 through 12 games in his second season before they fired him. It was a brief and tumultuous tenure that began with an ugly mishandling of incumbent quarterback Jay Cutler and ended with a videotape-spying scandal. During his time in Denver, McDaniels endured personality clashes with players and assistant coaches that have been well-documented.Six years have passed, though, and McDaniels is now older than some of the head coaches (Adam Gase, Ben McAdoo) who were hired last year and have done well. He has drawn cursory interest on the coaching market the past couple years but hasnt been inclined to jump back in at the first opportunity.I definitely would love to be a head coach again, he said last month. There are only 32 of those in the world. They are opportunities that dont come around very often. It would have to be at the right place and the right time. I try to make good decisions, whats best for my family and myself.People who have worked with McDaniels cite his high intellect as a reason to think hell succeed if given another chance. Perhaps more than ever, a head coach these days has to be able to think along with his personnel people, his salary cap people, to understand the intricacies of what it takes to run the franchise so that he can be as successful as possible in the locker room and on the sideline. McDaniels is well-regarded as intelligent enough to thrive on those fronts.In his second stint with the Patriots, McDaniels also has shown an ability to connect with players of different types and ability levels and to communicate with them in ways that draw the best out of them. His failure in Denver, people who know him say, taught him what he needed to work on, and hes smart enough to know how to (A) put it into practice and (B) deliver real and thoughtful answers when asked about it in his next interview cycle.Maybe he doesnt get the Rams job or any job this time around. But at 40, McDaniels is ready and well-positioned for another shot at NFL head coaching. If hes going to make good on his considerable talent, Los Angeles could be the perfect spot. ' ' '