Josh Norman says ’16 season with Washington was best ‘off the field’ as well as on

Josh Norman had his reasons for recently describing his 2016 season as the best of his career.

As the Washington Redskins cornerback explained to Bob Papa and Kirk Morrison on the Opening Drive, he didn’t simply focus on his numbers, which were slightly better in 2016 with the Carolina Panthers.

‘I had a lot of things to go through and I still maintained a level which I can be better and better every year’

Norman said his assessment took into account his transition from the Panthers to the Redskins, who signed him as a free agent.

“Because I had a lot to go through,” he said. “It just wasn’t on the field … it was the off the field (as well). I had a lot of things to go through and I still maintained a level which I can be better and better every year. And a lot of people would probably look at that and looked at it as, ‘Oh, man, he’s crazy. What year was 2015?’ I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about as far as for me.

‘I think people look at things and they take it, misconstrue them, and they always have’

“If we’re talking about a team, that’d be different, but we’re talking about as far as from me, in general. And I think people look at things and they take it, misconstrue them, and they always have. I don’t really care about that. I think it’s me. The question was asked about me, and I think when I feel like I’m doing better in something, I will let it be known. If I’m not, then I know I suck. And at the end of the day, I put it out there and I’m going to be truthful about it.”

Norman had three interceptions last year, one fewer than in ’15. He also returned two of the four picks for touchdowns, and had no scores last season. Additionally, Norman forced three fumbles in ’15, compared with two last year.

‘I worked really hard — I really, really did — last year’

“I worked really hard — I really, really did — last year, and I improved in my numbers in which I wanted them to in areas,” he said. “And some areas, I had a couple of balls I could have made up and had my hands on, but guess what? I didn’t make it. I had a couple pick-sixes; I didn’t make them. Things that I could have done, I didn’t do. But yet, overall, I went through it all and I battled that. I battled elements that were thrown at me. So I’ve got no regrets about anything that happened that year.

“There were a lot of things that I could have worked on and a lot of things I could have continued to do, but I think when they looked at that and took that out of context of what we said, it was kind of like, ‘Wow! Really? You can’t say nothing no more.'”