Josh Norman made the Pro Bowl, but only as an alternate. How do you think Washington’s high-priced free-agency signee feels about that?
“I’ve been snubbed all year, why the Pro Bowl any different?” he said Thursday, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. “Those guys gotta get in on it, too.”
Norman doesn’t get down on himself very easily. Though this year he’s been excluded from the Pro Bowl and called a phony by Dez Bryant, Norman still thinks he’s the best corner in the league. And besides, the Pro Bowl doesn’t really matter…or at least that’s what he’s saying.
“My teammates come out there, I put 110-percent max effort into those guys, show them how valuable to them. That’s all that matters,” Norman said. “I think everything else is for those guys that think of themselves as that. Big ups. But at the same time, I don’t see it like that. I’m not going to put myself in a category. I’ve never been there, so why is it going to surprise me by not going?”
In case you’re wondering: contrary to his own statement, Norman did make the Pro Bowl last year, his final year with the Panthers.
Norman believes he’s been unfairly targeted by officials this year because of his high profile and reputation for being a rough player. He’s been flagged 15 times, more than anyone else on Washington’s roster. It’s certainly been a rougher year for Norman than most would have imagined after he signed a $75 million contract with Washington in June following a drawn-out stalemate with Carolina.
Norman faced stiff competition for a Pro Bowl spot in the NFC this year. Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Xavier Rhodes, and Janoris Jenkins made it ahead of him. It’d be hard to argue he deserved to be recognized ahead of any of those four guys.
