Hot Stove Notebook: On Trading Danny Salazar for Ian Happ
November 28, 2017Jimmy Haslam’s voice on tapes during Pilot Flying J fraud trial
November 28, 2017For the first time since Week 15 in 2014, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is preparing himself to play in an NFL game after he was reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell on November 1. Whether it’s watching film, getting his body ready, or a number of other things, Gordon hasn’t gotten to do this in almost three full years.
When on the field, the wide out was briefly one of the best in the game, or at least he was during his first stint in the NFL. Whether it’s his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, his dynamic playmaking ability, or his speed, Gordon is quite a special talent and one the Browns are badly in need.
After reporting to the facility on November 7 to attend meetings and go through individual workouts, the wide out has been preparing for his season debut this Sunday in Los Angeles. Head coach Hue Jackson is very excited to get Gordon back and to see what he has to offer. Luckily for both the Browns and the receiver, it seems as though Gordon will get plenty of chances to prove if he still has it.
“No, we will probably wait a little bit, but I don’t think there is any reason just to do it today. My plans for him? Oh boy. let me tell you,” he said with laughter. “I have big plans for him. I plan for him to play and play as much as he can handle. I think he is a very talented player. He needs to play, needs to get out there and play but we have to see where he is and make sure how much can he handle, how much can he do.”
While Jackson says that he has big plans for Gordon, just remember that the head coach has said that multiple times this season about his top playmaker on offense, Duke Johnson. He has turned that into under-utilizing Johnson and continuing to not give him the ball, so take whatever the head coach says for a grain of salt until he actually walks the walk.
With that said, while Gordon has been out of the league for quite some time after he was suspended for a total of 53 games and hasn’t played in a full season since 2013. That season, he totaled a franchise record 1,646 yards on 87 receptions (159 targets) and nine touchdowns to go along with five carries for 88 yards. He led the league in receiving yards and yards per reception (18.9).
Since Gordon’s dominant 2013 season, the next-best Browns receiver has been wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, who had 77 catches (140 targets) for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns before darting to Washington this past offseason. After Gordon had been suspended for 43 of the Browns’ past 48 games due to repeated violations, it remained doubtful he would reclaim the status, but he now has the chance.
Oh, we’re doing Josh Gordon gifs? Okay… pic.twitter.com/O0sXh0wi5x
— Jake Burns (@jake_burns18) November 28, 2017
To say that Cleveland needs another playmaker on offense, especially on the outside, would be an understatement. Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer has shown glimpses of promise, but without a legitimate threat on the outside, it’s hard to succeed. Whether it’s dropped passes, guys not getting open, or just the inability to make plays, Kizer has had little help offensively.
Along with bringing his talented skill set back to the team, Jackson admitted that the locker room and practices have a different, exciting feel since Gordon returned to practice.
“He gives me energy, yeah, which means I am going to give them energy, which means they will have energy. Yeah, Josh is a good player. I don’t want to make it more than what it is because he has not played for me really other than in the preseason games,” Jackson said. “Hopefully, Josh will come back and bring a different spirit to our offensive football team and football team and he can make some plays. If he does that, then he will be doing just what we need him to do. I think the players have seen him out there and they have seen what he can do. I think they are excited about him playing and about playing with him. That within itself will bring something to this football team.”
Honestly, even at 85 percent of what he used to be, Gordon could be the best receiver the Browns have had since 2013. He’s not a savior, but he’s the outside weapon the offense has been in search of for quite some time. Maybe, just maybe, Gordon will be the reason why the Browns win at least one game this season.
The winless Browns will look to beat the Chargers for the second time in two years and make Los Angeles it’s only two wins over the last 27 games.
36 Comments
Josh can’t wait to smoke those doobies, errrr, DBs.
well , this is what i’ve been waiting for & this may be the only thing for Browns fans to be interested in the rest of the way.
I’m not expecting miracles , but Kizer having Gordon , C.Coleman , Britt , Njoku , Devalve , D.Johnson & Crowell as skill players is the best he’s had all season.
There were big plans for the running game as well at the start of the season. Big. Plans. The mind fairly boggles at the thought of how Hue will manage to misuse a potential weapon like Josh Gordon. Punt coverage, perhaps? Holder on FG attempts? Should be thrilling to watch.
Jimmy, Sashi, and Hue behold their savior, Joshus.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/91d42d74b5e846b23b4ccc8cbeacbd6b40279e0c7b9481c9884d4523966d8ace.jpg
Speaking of punt coverage, yesterday I was watching some of the 2004 OSU-Michigan game on ESPN Classic. Braylon Edwards was being used as a gunner on the punt team. On a punt that Ted Ginn returned for a TD, they showed that Mr. New York Essence wanted no part of being blocked or making a tackle. The announcer even commented on it.
I am shocked–SHOCKED, I say–to hear such a thing.
http://i45.tinypic.com/2873b7b.jpg
Long snapper?
As a UM fan, I wanted nothing to do with that guy.
He showed his ass last week with some pretty disparaging O’Korn tweets.
He’s such a jerk.
You know, “Joshua” is technically the same name as “Jesus.” In Hebrew, “Yeshua.”
Also, did you know that the magi did not arrive to see Jesus until he was 3 years old? Given Gordon’s hiatus, that also seems about right.
100 receiving yards, two touchdowns.
Also, also, one of the many names of Jesus is “Most High.” So . . .
What are the odds that photos surface of him in a California dispensary?
From your lips to my stupid fantasy football team.
As long as they lose.
Wins are counterproductive to The Process.
Hmmm, That makes a lot of frankenscence.
Myrrhy Christmas.
Chargers are scoring 22 points a game. That should be plenty against the Browns offense.
i stashed him away on a few of my fantasy teams , but I’m not sure if I should play him right away or not.
This comment is pure gold.
Translation “I’m I’m praying and sacrificing to all the deities that could possibly exist that he’s AJ Green”
Yeah. Wins just confuse things. They make coaches and GMs think they’ll still be here next season. They make players hesitate to swap jerseys with opponents who just skunked them.
Wins only produce wins.
But, losses produce data to analyze and decisions to evaluate.
The best part of those old Josh Gordon highlights? The uniforms!
+1 internets
These posts were gold
You win.
Only 2 more seasons after this one.
Maybe The Process is calibrated to succeed when we are eligible for new uniforms…
http://www.bannedinhollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/this-is-a-baby-pondering.gif
The Lord’s name… is JEHOVAH..
(almost falls into pit of misery)
This year the Browns appear to have discontinued the different-ugly-combination-every-week fiasco (and the corresponding sophomoric announcement of same every Thursday) and stuck to just the traditional home-and-away look. This gives me great hope that Dee Haslam has been so thoroughly embarrassed by Scheiner’s gaudy array of clown suits that she will demand a return to our classic old uniforms. OhGodIhopeIhopeIhopeIhope . . .
And speaking of bad uniforms, if Ohio State must wear those crap alternates, can they please do it against Illinois or Rutgers or somebody? Not for The Game. Not ever again for The Game.
G_O is going to be disappointed if they don’t ever go full pumpkin.
the lord’s name is Thor, son of Oden.
Only the penitent man shall pass.
The Buckeyes going full pumpkin would be an interesting choice.
Let’s hope he is.
And if I ever see those brown turd pants again, I will puke.
I dunno. It’s about time to win a couple of meaningless games to force a trade down from No 2, since our No 1 won’t be there.
A trade down is going to happen regardless.