DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Josh Gordon Reinstated Part II

Can’t argue with a single thing you’ve said ...

We’ve EARNED the reputation for being the joke of the league ... its WELL EARNED thanks to the thief and the circus the first 5 years of his ownership have been ...

Here’s to hoping ...

We earned that reputation the previous 10 years before Haslam.

Cleveland Browns must avoid hyping Josh Gordon -- Terry Pluto

Updated 2:15 PM; Posted 11:03 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Whenever I write about Josh Gordon, there are two basic reactions from most readers:

Why should the Browns bring him back at all? He's a drug addict.
Why are you so hard on him? Don't you want him to succeed?
Gordon is a drug addict. But he can change and has all the resources available to do so because he is an NFL athlete.

I want Gordon to make it.

But I also know hyping his return is dangerous.

The best approach with Gordon is to go slow, especially in terms of wild public praise.

Gordon enters his second week of practice with the Browns this week. He is expected to play in Sunday's game in Los Angeles against the Chargers.

The last time Gordon was eligible to play a regular season game -- he was suspended. He admitted he had been drinking and was late for the team flight to Baltimore. That was the final game of the 2014 season.

Coming off a five-game suspension, he played only five games in 2014. He was out-of-shape and didn't bother to learn the playbook.

I mention this because some in Browns Town are already proclaiming the physically gifted receiver as some type of season savior.

I know everyone is desperate for any ray of hope in this dismal season. It's true the Pro Bowl Josh Gordon of 2013 immediately becomes the best receiver on the team.

But that was four years ago ... not four months ago. The Browns should stress Gordon has to show he can be that player again -- and stay clean and sober.

THE WARNING SIGN

For years, some readers criticized me because they bought into the party line from Gordon's camp that he only used marijuana.

But he was suspended for the first two games of 2013 due to flunking a drug test for codeine. That was a major danger sign of cross addiction.

It's why former Browns CEO Joe Banner had a deal worked out with San Francisco, sending Gordon to the 49ers for a second-round pick. The coaches and ownership were against it.

Gordon was back and playing extremely well.

In his recent interview with GQ, Gordon admitted using a wide variety of drugs -- hard and soft -- for years. He also admitted having a drinking problem.

He has been fighting these issues for more than a decade. He claims to have been high on something before virtually every game.

I bring this up because Gordon's focus has to be on staying sober. With the right approach, football can be a huge help.

He also is surrounded by people who want to help him succeed.

STILL TIME

Gordon is only 26 years old. He should be in entering the prime of his football career.

To his credit, he passed all the drug tests and has done everything the NFL has required of him to play again.

None of that was easy.

But in many ways, the real challenge starts now for Gordon, especially if he has some early success.

Along with his drug issues, Gordon's biggest challenge has been doing what is necessary to stay eligible to play.

At Baylor, he was suspended and played only 22 college games. He only caught 43 passes in those 22 games.

The Browns picked him in the second round of the 2012 Supplement Draft based on potential, not production.

With the Browns, he has played only one full season without a suspension. That was in 2012.

In a 2015 story in the Cauldron, Gordon insisted he hadn't smoked marijuana since 2012. He was in a major state of denial.

He has to resist that trap again.

Over and over, Gordon has heard he's a great player. The truth is, he can be a great player. He has the physical ability to do so.

He is being given another chance to make that happen. And this time, it could be his last chance. That's why he and the Browns have to be wise and careful.

Link

Report: Browns will not activate WR Josh Gordon until Friday

A return to the field is imminent for the wide receiver.

Josh Edwards - 5 hours ago 0

Today marks the start of the window that the Cleveland Browns can activate wide receiver Josh Gordon from the Commissioner's Exempt List.

The team has until Dec. 3 to make the final decision. According to Cleveland.com, the Browns do not plan to activate Gordon until Friday, which is when the team leaves for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The decision allows Cleveland to essentially have 54 players while having no impact on Gordon. He can continue practicing with the team, which he has done since Nov. 20. At the same time, the Browns can carry an additional player until Gordon is activated and the team must release a player to keep the roster at the 53-man limit.

The 26 year old was conditionally reinstated on Nov. 1.

Sources told Cleveland.com that Gordon was the best player on the practice field last week, including rookie defensive end Myles Garrett. Imagine if the wide receiver had more time to prepare with the team.

The Baylor product has recorded 161 receptions for 2,754 yards and 14 touchdowns in 35 career games. He was selected to his lone Pro Bowl appearance in 2013.

Link

I can really see our front office screwing up the paperwork or missing a deadline and Josh will not be able to play on Sunday.

That would be the unforgivable sin.

Just cut Kessler now and be done with it.

why kessler though lol damn bro, thats cold blooded.

What a silly article.. since when have Browns fans been known to overreact?

Dude is horrible. Certainly we have other horrible players but they can cover kicks.

Agreed. I'd wait till the season is over to cut Cody.

That was one of my first thoughts also.

Hue Jackson plans to play Josh Gordon 'as much as he can handle'

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21589943/cleveland-browns-plan-play-josh-gordon-much-handle

I know that this won't count as an accrued year for Gordon (Goodell gave us a break with the suspension timing) .. and we still have him for 2018 and 2019 .. but what is his salary? What will he make for the final 5?

Why risk this in this way? Get him out there on paper. Is this some kind of silliness, like we are going to surprise them with a mystery reveal? Do not trust the FO on this one.

Actually surprised about wanting to see him play. Hope he is a baller Sunday.

are we thinking Louis is the odd man out when jg is activated?? or is it Britt or Higgins or one of the others??

I'm guessing he'll make about what Jimmy would call "walkin' around money". In other words, don't worry about it. Its not like we're even close to the cap.

Bundle them and get rid of them. Especially with Britt's numbers we owe. We could have a spree with that alone IMO. But Louis out would help too. Lacks game apparently. Thinking we could buy somebody hungrier, fer shure!

I think this is more a message to the other receivers, "You've got a week to fight for your lives. Show us what you've got."

Anyone has a down week, or is outworked, it'll be Josh replacing them.

He's still on his rookie contract, so he's making what a 2nd round pick makes in year 3 .... in other words, not a ton (by NFL standards).

I think it's a case of making sure he doesn't do something stupid between now and Friday.

Agreed.

I think it may have to do with getting a cut player past waivers and moved to practice squad. The doing something stupid may play into this too.

Bingo. They want to push the decision on who to cut as far back as possible. They did the same thing when Corey Coleman was activated.

Send him deep every play. He'll take two defenders with him. Ride him like a rented mule.

I just want to wish Josh Good Luck! I hope he has all the talent he ever had, and that he hones it into an unstoppable force. Go Browns!!!

JMHO, that's nothing stupid until 4:05 EST Dec 3....and then not getting trash talked into swinging, etc.,etc.....with JG you have to wonder until he PROVES he's now acting like an ADULT. He is now supporting a daughter, maybe he's grown up....hope so. GO Browns!!!

I think that would be a huge mistake. Gordon needs the ball in his hands, not to be used as a decoy.

j/c

While I am super excited to see Josh return, I'm equally excited to see how our OLine and RB's perform if we can get Josh going to where they cannot stack the box on us.

No it isn't. If he happens to get wide open send him the rock. Otherwise "see spot run ..run dawg run"

Found this article a bit disconcerting.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/11/28/josh-gordon-interview-cleveland-browns-nfl

Hoping for the best but I have my doubts that he can remain sober.

They were just talking about that on 92.3 The Fan (Cleveland).

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2017/11/28...-back-together/

They also said that Josh said he didn't know his sober date (first day he got and has since stayed sober). All I gotta say if that is true is ut-oh.
___________________________________________________________

The Browns are like a soap opera that never ends. A sad drama, but almost always interesting - at least to their fans.

Wow.

I read this article.

A couple things really jumped out at me:

1) Gordon flunked out of 10th grade but got a scholarship to Baylor?
2) If the stuff in that article is true, Gordon is an incredibly gifted physical specimen. If he really took all those drugs all the time and still was a world-class athlete.

Words are cheap, Josh.

Sobriety is a verb - it requires specific actions.

It's pretty cut and dry, it seems.

Years ago, the knock on Josh Gordon was all he could do was run the deep post, he didn't know any routes, all he could do was go over the top.

Louis had some bad performance didn't make the most of his opportunities.

Britt and Louis are about similar in production, but Britt (once a game) and I'll give you, "only" once a game, has a productive first down catch.

Treggs, was brought in to go over the top, to go the deep route, yet Treggs isn't getting the job done, the last 2 weeks when the Browns needed somebody to run routes in the end zone while on the opponents side of the field, they didn't even give targets to Treggs, so he must not be able to get there.

Corey Coleman, is the most reliable, and that's why the Qb's look his way disproportionatly when he is healthy, almost to a fault, everybody even the defense knows where the ball is going, it's going Colemans way,
But Coleman isn't really, doesn't appear to be the over the top deep threat, seems more that most of his production is mid range .

Rashard Higgans, and Kasen Williams were both kind of free lance, come out of anywhere and run quick to get open in space kind of guys, who wouldn't do well if they faced #1 defensive coverage focus all game long.
Almost a 3rd, 4th, or 5th option that hopes to use speed to expose a defenses weakness from covering the better receivers.

So, it's simple the thing to do, and would have already after this past week,
Bench Louis
Waive Treggs,

Bring in Josh Gordon,
Activate Kasen Williams off the practice squad.

Treggs wasn't even with the team in August, all through pre-season, maybe he is eligible for the practice squad.

Britt and Coleman were the original starters, August 2017, They started pre-season game 3, and regular season game 1. IIRC. And there has to be something they showed to get that. (Reliablity, knowledge of gameplan)

Higgans and Kasen Williams give you much more "threat" of making something happen out of nowhere, deep or slot, against a defenses #3 db, and are a wild card, but appear to have the speed and ability to get deep.
( Williams in his 1st game had a deep catch that came down out of bounds, so a no catch, near the goal line,) ( Higgans had 95 yards his first game back off of not making the team ).

And Josh Gordon is still probably most comfortable with just the deep post go route, but by this thread saying he's the best in practice, and given his 2013, and that everybody knows he's going to be the story coming back,
Because of all of that, the defenses are going to HAVE to be paying him attention.

Pretty obvious this would give you the most dynamic and explosive group, along with the most reliable, (Coleman, and Britt,) and Not Saying to ignore the 3 Tight ends and Duke as eligible receivers, but this group would give you 5 receivers you can count on, for whatever you can count on them as.

Oh, Ya, and Louis coming off the bench, is going to be motivated as heck, so yep, I forgot about him, what a nice guy to have everybody forget about as he'll probably bring one in for a big Touchdown, who has been on your team for the entire year and probably tied for first in playing time so far, a pretty reliable #6, Not too shabby.

I just read the SI article, all I gotta say is wow...He's much deeper into it (druggie lifestyle) then I once thought.

I pray he can stay clean & sober but right now? I wouldn't bet on it. (There is always hope though. )

Ugh.