The Redskins are 6-3 and still on top of the NFC East division after a 16-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a postgame interview, cornerback Josh Norman was asked about earning an important win on the road which led to some poignant comments about playing at FedEx Field.
“I feel like we play better on the road, I’m not going to lie,” Norman said. “Gosh, man. It just seems like the true fans, they really are with us on the road. We feed off of that.”
“We go into the home stands and it’s like an open bubble. Like the other team’s turf or something. You hear more of them than you do us. Then if something bad happens, they suck. They sit back in their seat and they boo. I don’t know. I’m starting to see that.”
So far this season, the Redskins are 3-2 at home which isn’t a bad record at all. The Redskins lost their home opener to the Indianapolis Colts but other than that, they won three straight home games against the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and their long-time rivals the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins lost two weeks ago to the Atlanta Falcons at home as well. However, Norman is displeased about the crowds at FedEx Field compared to other NFC East teams.
6-3 1st NFC-EasT, 1st time in along time that in itself should be ?? We worked on our craft to get here. Now it's you guy's turn.FedexField, is a place where visitors should 'Fear' Not b/c of Us. But b/c of how Terrifyingly Loud!&Menacing! YOU guys the FANS are. Come on #HTTR?
— *Joshua R. Norman (@J_No24) November 12, 2018
“It’s kind of crazy because the first couple years I been here, you would see sellouts and see people all happy and excited and all for the Redskins,” Norman said. “Now, you go around to the whole NFC East teams, Philly, the Giants and even Dallas, they’re sold out. People in the seats, they’re cheering for their team regardless of good or bad or indifferent. They’re still showing up each and every week and going hard. Even the Giants, when they were 1-6, they had a sellout crowd. They were all in there packed, still.”
Norman’s comments came at a peculiar moment being that the team was victorious and he had a solid game. One of the highlights for Norman was pulling down a 32-yard interception. Despite the positive day, he made it clear that coming home to play the Houston Texans next Sunday is not something he is looking forward to from a fan perspective.
Redskins game notes from win over Buccaneers
“We come back to our home and it seems like guys don’t really care,” Norman said. “They just boo everything and aren’t really behind us. We don’t really feel that. And I’m tired of it, really. We can play all the games on the road if you ask me.
“At the end of the day, the people who are going to be for you, the fans that really have your back, they’ll be there. The other ones, man, it is what it is. Can’t really speak on them. They’re going to talk about what they talk about anyway. They’re all keyboard warriors anyway.”
Ultimately, Norman’s frustrations are valid but calling out fans for their lack of support is not how you win them over. Perhaps a better approach would have been to focus on the fans that have been supportive because you can’t control the fans that have decided not to be loyal.
#JoshNorman calling out #Redskins fans for lack of support more than likely won’t change their minds. It’s all in how you deliver the message. #HTTR
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) November 12, 2018
I can understand Josh Norman’s frustrations but he has to know there are more loyal #Redskins fans that will support no matter what than the negative base out there.
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewis) November 12, 2018
There could be several reasons why the stands are empty that have nothing to do with the Redskins performance. Norman has to understand that people are people and publicly scolding them is not going to result in a sellout crowd.