Antonio Brown torched the Washington Redskins' secondary on Monday night, racking up 126 receiving yards on eight catches, including two touchdowns and one electric twerk celebration. Redskins cornerback, and self-proclaimed best corner in the league, Josh Norman was nowhere to be found and the Giants' Victor Cruz took notice.
Cruz told reporters on Wednesday:
"Especially if he calls himself -- I don't call him this, he calls himself the best corner in the league -- then you have to go cover the best receivers on the other team," Cruz said Wednesday. "Going in, I thought he was going to follow AB all over the place, but he didn't. So it is what it is. He made his choice."
Last season, while Norman was a member of the Panthers, he tailed Odell Beckham Jr. all over the field and the two came to blows several times throughout the game.
According to Norman, he was just doing what his coaches asked of him on Monday but as Victor Cruz noted, if you're really the best then you gotta demand to cover the best. You demand to be on that island.
"I'm doing what I'm asked to do and doing it to the best of my abilities, trying to be a cerebral assassin on details and assignments, which my coaches ask me to do," Norman said. "Trying to be a technician of the game. Anything I can do, I'm all for it. Whether I travel or not travel to one side, left side, who really cares? Just get the job done. Whoever gets the job done, so be it."
"It's always his choice. He can go to the powers that be and say, 'Hey, I want to cover this guy.' And if they say no, if maybe he did that and they say no, then I'll have to eat my words," Cruz added. "But for the most part, you can go make that request."
Giants cornerback, Janoris Jenkins also gave his two cents, from a fellow defensive back's perspective.
"I think when you're paying someone $70 million, there shouldn't be no game plan," Jenkins told reporters. "The game plan should be, you're on this guy and that's what it is."
The Giants v. Redskins and Beckham v. Norman rivalry certainly didn't need any extra juice but here we are. The two squads will get together in Week 3, but before that Norman will have to go up against another divisional foe, Dez Bryant, on Sunday.
[Via]