The Washington Redskins are white hot right now, having won four games in a row.
A big reason for the team's turnaround over the past four weeks has been because of their defense. The group's "Wolfpack" mentality has made them nearly impenetrable lately, thanks to players such as cornerback Josh Norman, who's playing like a man on a mission this season.
Ike Taylor knows a thing or two about playing the cornerback position, having manned that fort for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 12 years. Taylor also helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls during that time, so he's been to where Norman and the Redskins are striving to get to at the end of the season.
Taylor – an NFL Media Analyst for NFL.com - has been keeping a close eye on Norman's progress this season, and he's been so impressed by what Norman's done that he gave him the much-coveted No. 1 spot on his cornerback rankings list for Week 7.
This is what Taylor had to say about Norman:
"Step aside, Richard Sherman. There's a new No. 1 cornerback -- the same one who's been claiming that he is the best cornerback all year," Taylor said. "Josh Norman has proven why he is the NFL's highest-paid cornerback during his short time with the Redskins, leaving the struggling Panthers scratching their heads. He brings another dimension to this defense and has taken on big challenges on a weekly basis."
Norman has caught Taylor's attention, not only because of what he's done on the field over his first six games with the Redskins, but also because of the numbers he's been putting up as a result of his outstanding play.
"I am more and more impressed by Norman as the season progresses," Taylor said. "He's moved up to the top spot this week because of his stats. Through Week 6, Norman has allowed 17 receptions on 33 targets [51 percent completion rate] for 209 yards [12.3 yards per catch] and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1:1. He has racked up eight passes defensed and 26 tackles. His numbers are nearly equal to [or better than] those of Richard Sherman [the former No. 1 CB on my list] and Patrick Peterson [the resident No. 2 here]."
Taylor made note of what's to come for Norman and the Redskins this weekend, as they'll head to Detroit on Sunday to take on a sizzling Lions team who are looking for their third straight win behind what they hope is more solid quarterbacking play from Matthew Stafford.
Taylor is confident that Norman will continue his strong and steady play against Stafford and the Lions.
"Norman faces a hot Matthew Stafford -- who has completed 68.9 percent of his passes this season -- on the road this week," Taylor said. "I see him taking care of business against Marvin Jones, Golden Tate and veteran Anquan Boldin."
