Josh Norman On Washington's Home Fans: "They're Not Really Behind Us"

With a bend-don’t-break defense and adequate offense, Washington took down the Tampa Bay Bucs on the road today, 16-3. After the game, Skins cornerback Josh Norman, who had a cool interception in the win, got asked about the difference between his team playing at home vs. on the road. Washington is 3-1 on the road, with their only defeat coming in New Orleans, while at home they’re 3-2, including a rough loss to the Falcons last Sunday.

Norman’s response was not very flattering to the home crowds:

If you’re having trouble reading that, here’s an abridged version:

I feel like we play better on the road, I’m not gonna lie. It seems like our true fans, they’re really with us on the road and we feed off of that. When we go into the home stands, it seems like an open bubble or something. Like the other team’s turf.

...

They just don’t really care. They just boo everything. They’re not really behind us. We don’t really feel that. I’m tired of it. I really am.

It’s no secret that Washington, formerly the hottest ticket in the league, has struggled to draw passionate crowds in the Dan Snyder era. This summer, the team finally admitted that their much-hyped season-ticket waiting list, which they once claimed held 200,000 names, didn’t exist anymore. It likely hadn’t existed for quite a long time before this year.

For a good encapsulation of the modern-day Washington fan experience, please watch this short video from the home opener:

Norman knows what he’s talking about.