Redskins’ Josh Norman gets penalty for ‘bow and arrow’ celebration (video)

Josh Norman came up with his first interception as a member of the Washington Redskins at a crucial point in Sunday’s game, and he celebrated in a unique fashion.

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman was mostly quiet through almost four complete games with his new team, including on the stat sheet with zero interceptions. Until Sunday, when Josh Norman came up with a big play as the Redskins were clinging to a 24-20 lead over the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter.

Norman’s subsequent ‘bow and arrow’ celebration drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Washington running back Matt Jones scored from one yard out to finish a four-play, 39-yard drive after the interception, and Dustin Hopkins tacked on the extra point to make the score 31-20. That was the final score, and Norman’s penalty was not particularly detrimental in terms of field position on the ensuing drive since the Browns were deep in their own end.

Norman speaks his mind and plays with a lot of emotion, and he sometimes straddles a relative line of self-control on the field (see Odell Beckham Jr. incident from last year). Big plays at important times in games is what the Redskins signed up for when Norman surprisingly became available during the offseason, quite literally with a five-year, $75 million contract to become their No. 1 cornerback and cover the opponent’s best wide receiver.

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Throwing a flag on Norman for what he did seems a little overboard, but dumb, entirely preventable penalties like the one Sunday can become detrimental later in the season against far better teams than the Browns. So Norman needs to exhibit better self-control between the lines, and if he can’t Washington may be hard-pressed to repeat as NFC East champions.