The Cleveland Browns have been let down by Josh Gordon more than once, but should the franchise give the talented receiver one final chance? It feels like just yesterday we were all watching Josh Gordon take over the league. Josh Gordon was one of the most transcendent wide receivers that I have ever watched play the game of football and it didn?t matter who was throwing him the football. While Gordon was virtually unguardable on the field, it was off the field where he failed to keep his guard up. Off-the-field problems have always been an issue for Gordon dating all the way back to college. After being dismissed from Baylor for failing multiple drugs test and a marijuana-related arrest, Gordon transferred to Utah where he failed another test. All of the cloudiness surrounding Gordon resulted in him dropping into the supplementary draft, where the Browns selected him in the second round. Everyone knew Gordon would be a risk to take in the draft, but acknowledged that other talented players like Gordon have entered the league and overcame the problems. Despite having a rookie season to remember, being named to the ESPN.com All-Rookie Team with 50+ catches and over 800 receiving yards, Gordon failed the first of his multiple drug tests in June 2013. The failed drug test would result in being suspended for the first two games of 2013. Even after missing the first two games of 2013, Josh Gordon would go on to lead the league in receiving with 1,646 yards (from three different quarterbacks), was named to the First-Team All-Pro, and also was named to the Pro Bowl. Josh had also set NFL records by being the gates. Josh Gordon had arrived and it seemed like the Browns have found the cornerstone of their franchise. ?People there definitely had heavier problems than anything I?ve done. [The media] want to create this monster. Every story about me seems so harsh. ?He?s an addict, a junkie, a cokehead.? That?s not who you really are.? ? Josh Gordon on rehab after release in October 2014 The next few seasons after were not kind to Gordon. In July 2014, Josh Gordon was pulled over from driving impaired and was suspended for the first 10 games of that season where he had a below par return. Gordon was also suspended the entire 2015 season after failing another alcohol test. Roger Goodell reinstated Josh Gordon in July 2016 but also suspended him for the first four games. Browns great Jim Brown played a huge role in advocating to get Gordon back on the field and mentoring him while he was away from the game of football. It looked like Josh Gordon hadn?t lost his step while watching him in preseason and baring something crazy happening, Gordon was set to return Week 5 against the Patriots. September 29, 2016: Josh Gordon announced he would enter inpatient rehab facility. September 30, 2016: Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson said, ?We?re moving on from him (Josh Gordon), we need to close that chapter.? Most believe this was in the wake of another failed drug test, but no evidence has been found to support such a claim. Regardless, Roger Goodell put Josh Gordon back on the indefinite suspension list. The theory that I believe is that after Gordon took the paternity test and realized he was a father, he made the mature decision to take time to get right before returning to the game. Sometimes things pop in your life and force you to make a change for someone else. Mental health should trump anything else in your life, especially for someone who has struggled his whole adult life with addiction. Most also expected Josh Gordon was to be released from the team after Hue Jackson took the podium that September day, but Gordon has remained on the Browns roster the remainder of the 2016 season. I think that the Browns are weighing their options with Gordon and have not actually made a decision on whether to release him or not. If the Browns had already made up their minds, Gordon would have been released that very day. It says a whole lot to how far the Browns think Gordon has come and fought to overcome his shortcomings of the field. Josh Gordon is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, which means if a team does decide to sign him, the Browns have a chance to retain him by matching the offer. No one may even want the chance to go after his past so it could be a low risk/high reward situation for the Browns if they give him a one-year contract to prove himself. Josh Gordon has taken the proper steps to get back on the field, which he already had prior to the 2016 season, and if the Browns feel like he is mentally right, I don?t see why we couldn?t see a Josh Gordon return in a Browns uniform come the 2017. Personally, I think the Browns should give Josh Gordon one last shot. We have seen what he can do and I don?t think that was his ceiling. At the ripe age of 25, he still has plenty left in the tank. If the Browns don?t give him another chance it could be the biggest mistake the franchise has ever made, but the decision is all in the hands of Gordon to be the best he can be on and off the field. All of us were kids once and we all have made mistakes along the way. Josh seems like he has learned from his mistakes and wants to flip the script and redeem himself.
A sound argument TD. I truly hope he has turned his life around, on a personal level, but for the Browns, it's strictly business. On that end there's virtually "no risk" since he was never a lockeroom problem, seemingly liked and supported. He has or had talent, and costs almost nothing to have, while possessing possibly the best skill set as a reciever in the league. Why would you just let him go? Let him come to camp and show what he's got left, and demonstrate his commitment to the game, by being the good citizen expected. If he's got the ability to play at/near the level he showed 3 years ago, then let him go, so some other team can fret over his substance issue while compiling recieving records and TDs for some other team. Sound about right. Yeah let's volunteer to extend the "laughing stock" team. Let's do that, so we can all sleep at night knowing we didn't let a young man with problems ever become a negative headline, cause that would be awful. What are the chances he actually has grown up? Who knows. I, for one would like to find out before I kick him down the NFL road and have to then find out from some other team that, "hey, he really did grow up". I don't for one minute want to defend the idea that he's 100% clean and will stay that way, but I also don't see the down side to finding out. If they bring him in and decide to let him go after a week or a month, I would assume he demonstrated he was using or his talent seemed to have dropped off, but to cut him loose now without granting him a chance to show us what he's willing and able to do, strikes me as shallow minded. This team, hell any team could use his talent, if he's ready to truly apply it and to be the grown up he needs to be. The only issue I see is, "he would be a distraction as the season starts, with media constantly focusing on whether he's truly over his problems. Fake news or otherwise, I can ignore that if the Browns front office can. Clearly many fans cannot.
If the Browns draft Garrett and a QB early, the media won't have time to worry about Gordon..He would be page 3 news compared to the rookies.
Call me crazy, but I don't think drafting Garrett and a QB early is that far out of the realm of possibility for the Browns... *DONT_KNOW*
Packers beat writer Bob McGinn spoke with an NFL scout who said FSU RB Dalvin Cook is "everything." We think this conversation took place before Cook's workout, but it is difficult to not be impressed with that Dalvin shows on the field. "He reminds me of Marshall Faulk so much because he can catch the ball," another scout told McGinn. Rotoworld's Josh Norris has ranked Cook as the No. 1 running back in the class the entire season, but it is impossible to not let his lack of athleticism factor in an evaluation. There's always a chance his numbers improve at his pro day, however, as of now Cook's athletic profile has not resulted in a first running back since at least 1999. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Mar 8 - 9:28 AM
Eddie Lacy (who looks like a pulling guard) is a better athlete. [table][/table] [table][tr][th]Event[/th][th]Lacy[/th][th]Cook[/th][/tr][/table] [table][tr][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td]Vertical[/td][td]33.5[/td][td]30.5[/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td]3 Cone[/td][td]7.33[/td][td]7.27[/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td]40 Yard[/td][td]4.54[/td][td]4.49[/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td]10 Yard Split[/td][td]1.65[/td][td]1.71[/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][/tr][/table] [table][/table]
Looks like nobody wants to come here for $...they better hit it well in the draft...Jefferson to Balt
This might be a blessing in disguise. I think they were trying to decide between Jefferson and Cyprien...I think in the long run, Cyprien could end up being the better safety, while possibly costing us less in the long run as well. On the other hand, losing a player like Jefferson to an in division rival is twice as disheartening...Money should not be an object in this...Maybe it truly is too late to rebuild a relationship with free agents using money as a catalyst. We don't have to worry about cap space in 2017, it has been widely discussed about the record amount of money available...BUT, that doesn't last forever, it's because of the carryover. So you either take advantage of the one year help you are receiving and sign a bunch of front loaded contracts that help you, 2, 3, 4 years down the road, or it's wasted money...Well, the management team doesn't seem to understand this. They are offering conventional contracts as if they are in the same cap situation as everyone else. What the hell??
Has our new regime done ANYTHING to inspire confidence? I don't understand all the ins and outs of the salary cap, but for years we have been hearing about what great financial shape the Browns are in, and yet they don't get things done. It makes no sense to me at all why they haven't got Pryor done yet...Ok, so word is TP wants $10m per season. Months ago us amateurs all figured around 4 yr and $36m would be about his worth. They need to step up. They haven't earned the right for these guys to give any kind of hometown discount. Terrelle Pryor is just scratching the surface of his WR career. He's played one year! and he was pretty phenominal considering. In 4 years, $10M might seem like a bargain for Terrelle! The guy knows how to separate. CB's hate him because he's good...Don't Sashi and the boys have a grasp on who the hell we are?? We gotta overpay!!! This ain't New England. Guys aren't coming here thinking about SB rings and deep playoff runs....SMH. If Pryor gets away, I'm dropping the NFL Ticket on Sundays. why would ANYONE in have any confidence that things are turning around here??? To hear Irish explain the money situation only aggravates me more. Get the damn deal done and at least give the fans a glimmer of hope....geez.
Yep. NFL Channel is reporting this morning that Tony Jefferson is walking away from a much more lucrative offer from Cleveland, so he can sign with the Ravens....smh I guess it shouldn't be surprising....It's the culture. That complete phuqfest mass exodus last offseason is biting their asses now... What am I talking about...This has been nearly two decades in the making... Nobody wants to endure the misery of losing...It's never going to stop until we get a QB....F/A's look at our roster, and say "no thanks. I'll look you up when I have no other options"...
The stark reality of what 1-15 (and decades of terrible football) mean. [twitter=https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/839829157928402944][/twitter]
Can't disagree, stopper. Just a sobering reminder that this team is going to need to be built through the draft, meaning that these upcoming picks are more crucial than ever.
Things just got real interesting in the NFC South..D Jack is a perfect compliment to Evans and finally a true deep threat for Winston...now w any luck Cook falls to #19 and then I wuld consider them SB contenders
