Redskins' Norman dismisses criticism after Week 1 loss

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman is blocking out the noise following a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Norman was widely expected to cover Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown man to man, but his partner, Bashaud Breeland, took the majority of snaps, and was roasted for two touchdowns.

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New York Giants teammates Victor Cruz and Janoris Jenkins later ripped into Norman for not squaring off against Brown - comments the All-Pro cornerback dismissed Thursday.

"When you're at the top of your profession, someone is always trying to grab at you just because they're not at the top of your profession," Norman told reporters. "You just have to extend down your arm and hand them an olive branch."

Norman also implored his divisional rivals to focus on their own game.

"Not somebody else's team that we're not even playing this week," Norman said. "I'm sure they need to worry about their matchups. Let's keep it that way. It's like, 'Wow.' You take it with a grain of salt."