Washington's Jay Gruden defends heavily-penalized Josh Norman

Josh Norman is the NFL’s most penalized player, with 13 penalties from the routine (pass interference) to the extreme (criticizing a specific official) to the, well, weird (mime-firing a bow and arrow). He’s cost his team yards and himself tens of thousands, but in the eyes of his coach, he’s doing just fine.

“As far as his off-the-field antics, or the on-the-field penalties that he has gotten, he’s a physical football player,” Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said of Norman on Wednesday. “He’s in your face, and he’s very competitive. You don’t want to change that about him at all; that’s what makes him him.”

Norman signed a five-year, $75 million deal in the offseason after the Panthers made the stunning, and ill-advised, decision to let him walk. He’s long been a mercurial player, unafraid to speak his mind, happy to tell you the truth: that he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the game. The problem that he faces is one all defenders face: the game is biased against the defense, much tougher to play than receiver, as Richard Sherman recently noted.

That said, Norman doesn’t help his own cause. He criticized a specific official after drawing five penalties the Redskins’ tie with Cincinnati in London, a shot that cost him $25,000. He’s also been hit with fines for a hit on the Giants’ Sterling Shepherd and for miming a bow-and-arrow shot on the sideline against Cleveland.

“Obviously we might have to work on his hand placement in bump-and-run, so he doesn’t hit the receiver in the head,” Gruden said. “But his aggression, his competitive style — that’s what drew us to him in the first place. We would never change that.”

The Redskins are coming off a bye last weekend and return to action at home against Minnesota on Sunday.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.