Josh Norman is entering his 10th NFL season. He is a Pro Bowl cornerback. He is an All-Pro defender. There's just one thing that is missing from his résumé—a championship. That's why he decided to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, even with other teams courting him.
"I can honestly say I've done what I want to do in this league except one thing, and that's win a championship," Norman told reporters after practice today. "My next suitor, for me, was going to be who[ever] that was on my list.
"San Fran was at the very top of that list. We've been talking to each other for a while. We've been courting each other for quite some time. It's been months that we've been courting each other. Some other teams was in the mix of that. ... But to [ask] why did I choose to take my time? Because for me, I wanted to get it right."
"Quite some time" was actually two to three months, Norman said. He's been keeping an eye on the 49ers through the preseason and watching social media clips from their practices, just in case things worked out between the two sides, as he hoped.
"I'm here to win a championship," Norman added. "It's not so much about the numbers now than it is about getting a ring on my hand and hoisting that Lombardi, something that I've always cherished to do. And I feel like this team has that ability and has capabilities to make that happen. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help to push us to the edge and getting that done."
Starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (knee) was listed as "doubtful" for Sunday against the Detroit Lions. It has been a whirlwind of a week for Norman, who joined the team on Monday and has been trying to get up to speed and prepare himself to contribute if needed. And it could be needed if Moseley cannot play.
"Well, it's truly been one of those tornadoes," Norman said. "That's for sure. You can never train for this. ... That first day was a nail-biter, but after a while, [you] start getting your legs up under you. Getting acclimated and playing in something like this where it's always go, go, go, go, go, it's a first.
"I'm truly grateful for the [opportunity] to be able to do that, and being in that position to challenge myself and such. And yeah, I'm excited."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't too concerned about Norman's lack of prep time and feels the 49ers could rely on the veteran on Sunday, if necessary.
"You always want guys to have a camp, but he said how hard he prepared and how of good shape he is before he came here, and that's exactly what we've seen this week," Shanahan said. "So, it's not something you want to do, but if we need to do it, he's up for the challenge."