Josh Norman protests calls; Jay Gruden says 'deal with it'

ASHBURN, Va. -- The calls came one after another and left Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman seething on Sunday.

Time and again during a 27-27 tie at Wembley Stadium against the Bengals, Norman was hit with a hands to the face penalty while covering Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver A.J. Green. He was whistled four times for that infraction and also committed a pass interference penalty.

That led to an angry outburst after the game where Norman directed a personal insult at side judge Brad Freeman, who made most of those calls.

"I'm not them. I just play the game. I play it, always physicality to a degree," Norman said. "That's how we play it, old-school football, hands up on you. They know we do this."

That might be the problem. Referees know how Norman plays. And opposing receivers and coaches aren't afraid to lobby their case. On Sunday, Norman happened to see a crew willing to call a tight game and never adjusted. It's something that coach Jay Gruden noted even the best corners, including Darrelle Revis in his prime, had to learn to deal with.

"As far as [Norman] being targeted, he probably is a little bit, but he's going to have to deal with it and work on his hand placement and just continue to work and get better and better," Gruden said. "But he's a great player and I love his passion."

Normally, Gruden likes to have his players practice on Tuesday of their bye week and then allows them to stay away from the facility for a few days. Many choose to return to their offseason homes in California, Texas or Florida. Others remain in the area.

But on the heels of a cross-Atlantic trip to London, the Redskins decided to cancel Tuesday's practice. Instead, they'll review film, have some meetings and then take a mini-vacation. They need it with a 4-3-1 record and a difficult schedule (Minnesota, Green Bay, at Dallas, at Arizona, at Philadelphia, Carolina) between now and Dec. 19.

"Hopefully, they come back with a free mind and be ready to roll for the second half of the season," Gruden said. "We have a tough stretch. I think we have three games in 11 days, or something like that.

"We've got Minnesota right around the corner. No. 1 defense in the league, they're playing extremely well. We have got to get ready. Big thing is to get some time off, get their mind off football for a little while."