Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Giants' scouting report on Redskins CB Josh Norman

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Inside the New York Giants facility there is a wide spectrum of opinions on Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman. Not necessarily as a person but as a player.

Depending on who you talk to, Norman ranges anywhere from a good to a sound to a premier cover corner. There is, however, a consensus that he can play at a very high level, as evidenced by his All-Pro status.

Giants coach Ben McAdoo was responsible for the “premier cover corner” designation. Wide receiver Dwayne Harris went with “good corner” while Victor Cruz settled with “very sound” cornerback.

For the most part, his arch-nemesis Odell Beckham Jr. had little to say about Norman’s ability and what he brings to the table for Sunday’s matchup between the Redskins and Giants at MetLife Stadium. This sure seemed intentional.

“I expect him to play his game the way he’s always played to get him in the position he is now,” Beckham said of Norman earlier in the week. “He’s obviously done a good job of that. I expect him to play his game.”

But what exactly is his game? What do the Giants see on tape from the Redskins’ top cornerback?

Harris

“He’s a good corner. He’s going to play through the whole play. He goes after the football. He goes after the ball. For us, you have to protect your catches, have strong hands, come back to the ball when the ball is thrown because you know he’s going to try to put his hand in there and knock it out...

“It’s mostly the same thing [as with Carolina]. With him, they’re going to do what he does well. And what he does well is play in a zone and really try not to give him too much open space. Just try to keep a guy over the top of him so he can play his game.

McAdoo

“He is a talented player and does a good job of punching at the ball. In the run game, he makes a big difference. On punch and pivot type routes, he does a good job of coming up and knocking the ball out.”

Cruz

“On film, I see that he's very sound. He has very long arms. He likes to be physical. He likes to be up on the line of scrimmage and get in the receivers’ faces a little bit. So it's a challenge. We're going to face different corners each and every week with different styles. We just have to be able to combat those styles and be able to win our individual matchups.”

The plan appears to be that Norman will follow Beckham all over the field, except in the slot. It’s the same approach the Panthers took last year when they faced Beckham and the Giants in Week 15.

Beckham played in the slot 22 percent of the snaps that afternoon. It might not be that often this time around, in part because of the return of Cruz and arrival of rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

The Giants prefer to use Shepard in the slot. It has been evident through the first two games. He’s been in the slot over 90 percent of the snaps. Beckham has been in the slot on 8 of 134 offensive snaps (6 percent) this season.

Norman rarely ventures into that area of the field. He’s thrived on the outside the past few seasons, mostly as a cornerback on the left side. Beckham has lined up primarily against right cornerbacks this season. But Beckham and Norman will see each other plenty on Sunday.

“They’ll have their opportunities to go against each other,” offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said.

The scouting report says it’s likely to be on the outside, and Norman might try to get in Beckham’s face and aggressively knock the ball away once it hits his hands. At least that's what the Giants saw on tape from the Redskins cornerback.

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