Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots September 17, 2018 - The Gordoning

Episode Date: September 17, 2018

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello there boys and girls and it has happened, the Gordon-in. Mark Schofield plopping into the big chair here for a special emergency edition of Locked On Patriots and there's some news, perhaps some very good news. Only the future will tell. But as was first reported by Ian Rappaport at Rappsheet on Twitter, coming somewhat early on Monday afternoon, tweeted out, the Patriots are getting close on a deal for Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon,

source said. Not official, but headed that way. That came out in the late two o'clock, almost three o'clock hour on the East Coast, and that was followed up just moments ago with a Twitter from Ian Rappaport, a tweet from Ian Rappaport. The Patriots have agreed to trade for Brown's wide receiver Josh Gordon, I'm told. Done deal. It's done for a conditional fifth round pick, and he further elaborates, New Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon had an MRI on his hamstring, and I'm told it came out fine. That means, dot, dot, dot,

Gordon could play for New England in week three. Adam Schefter as well from ESPN, Trey now agreed to. Patriots are sending Cleveland a fifth round pick, and if Gordon isn't active for 10 games, Patriots get back a late round pick from Browns. Sources tell ESPN. Schefter goes on. New Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon is healthy enough from his strained hamstring to play Sunday versus the Lions per source. Further, full compensation trade update. This is from Adam Schefter. patriots and browns a 2019

fifth round pick for wide receiver josh gordon and get back in 2019 seventh round pick if he is not active for 10 games source tells espn trade was supposed to be for a sixth round pick but patriots don't have a sixth round pick and fromates, source, in order to make room for Josh Gordon, the Patriots are cutting recently signed wide receiver Corey Coleman. So there you go. That's the move. And if you listen to the melancholy and the infinite sadness edition of Locked On Patriots, you know that at one point during the game against Jacksonville, Jacksonville's wide receivers had about 246 yards to receive in New England's 75.

And I mentioned when I pointed that out on the show that I'm sure this was something that we were going to hear about. It seems the Patriots have made a move to address that. Now, we have to talk about this on two tracks. The first is, what are the New England Patriots getting on the field? There's obviously an off-the-field component to this that we'll have to address. With respect to the on-field, look, they are getting a former Baylor wide receiver who is a vertical boundary threat type of receiver. You look at some of his big plays. You look at his ability along the boundary in the vertical passing game.

That is what he brings to this offense. An element that, as of right now, they seem to lack. Off the top of your head right now, even with Julian Edelman back, who is the deep type threat? Philip Dorsett maybe gives you a tiny bit of that, but nothing like what Josh Gordon brings to an offense in terms of the ability to just beat coverage. The ability to just take the top off a defense, which is a little catchphrase that people

like to throw out there. Yeah, there is something to the ability to sort of occupy safeties and occupy the middle of the field and perhaps open up room underneath for a guy like Rob Gronkowski. I think the whole take a top off the defense is sort of overblown. It's something that teams, Patriots fans, and other fan bases sort of rely on. People like to look at, look, they haven't had somebody like that since Randy Moss. And while that's true, they've obviously won games in Super Bowls without Randy Moss. And so the whole take the top of a defense then I think is an argument that is a little overwrought and overblown.

But you do need somebody that can sort of stretch defenses from line of scrimmage deep. You do need somebody that can erase separation and give you that shot play ability down the field. And that's something that Josh Gordon brings to this team, something that they don't have right now. Now we'll get to the off-the-field concerns in a moment. He's had one game this season.

He did not play in Week 2. He had one catch for 17 yards, and it went for a touchdown. In that game against Pittsburgh, that ended in a tie. You look back, last year he appeared in five games, 18 receptions for 335 yards and a touchdown and a lawn of 54 yards, two catches for 20 plus yards, One catch for 40 or more yards. Obviously, his breakout season, 2013, appeared in 14 games. 87 receptions for 1,646 yards. Averaging 18.9 per reception. Averaging 117.6 yards per game.

A lawn of 95 yards that went for a touchdown. I mean, those are video game type numbers. And who was throwing him the football in that 2013 season? Well, I mean, obviously, it's a quarterback we all know and love, Brian Hoyer, as well as guys like Brandon Reedin and Jason Campbell. I mean, it was just a smorgasbord of quarterbacks slinging the rock for the Browns that season. But this guy's a vertical threat. He can stretch defenses.

He can erase separation. He's one of those guys that you give him a seven-yard cushion pre-snap, he'll erase it in a heartbeat and outrun you. That's what he brings on the field. We'll get to the off the field in a second. Adam Schefter just tweeted right now, Browns also spoke with Cowboys, Redskins, 49ers, and others about a potential trade for Josh Gordon

and wanted to send him to the NFC, but Patriots stepped in and closed. And with a fifth round pick, you know, being the winner, along with that conditional aspect to it where if the Patriots don't have him active for 10 games or if he's not active for 10 games and the New England Patriots get a seventh-round pick back, it's not like the Patriots gave up a ton here to close this deal. But that's the on-the-field stuff. We know what he's capable of on the field. The big question is obviously off of the field. Look, this is a player with a

checkered, checkered past in the National Football League with sort of the inability to stay active, the inability to, let's face it, stay sober. Peter Kane from NBC Sports put out a tweet when the Patriots rumors really started flying this afternoon. The Patriots don't often do dumb things. They are 68 million times smarter than me at football. But I think casting your lot with a person with Gordon's history is asinine. Look at his resume in my column this morning. So let's do that.

Let's look at Peter King's piece here. And he outlines in detail, you know, the issues that Gordon has gone through, you know, since his time in the National Football League. And they are many. And let's start off here, okay? Gordon was suspended two games for substance abuse in September of 2013 he was suspended 10 games for substance abuse in August of 2014 he was suspended for the final game of 2014 by the Browns for an undisclosed violation of team rules he was suspended for the full season in 2015 for substance abuse after being reinstated for the 2016 season he was suspended for the first four games of the season. Before finishing his 2016 suspension, he entered an inpatient

substance abuse facility. He missed all 16 games in 2016. He was reinstated midway through 2017, played five games for the Browns. He missed much of training camp this season, quote, as part of my overall health and treatment plan, close quote, he said in July. He played the first game this season against Pittsburgh, reported the team facility Saturday with a hamstring injury the team believed did not happen at practice during the week. He has played in six games since Christmas Day 2014, a total of six games out of the Browns last 51. And here's what Peter King asks. Here's how he frames it can we let a 27 year old man try to conquer his addictive demons first and what is the rush to do this have the team's drooling over Gordon taking time to consider that since entering the league six years ago he has been suspended

five times and at least once was self-admitted to a rehab facility I'm not suggesting Gordon be banned from football for life I am suggesting that there is evidence circumstantial evidence but there's some heavy smoke here, that there's something amiss with Gordon. And this is moving way too fast for any team to satisfactorily examine Gordon. So, that's how Kings puts it. Now, remember when we had

the Sunday morning tailgate show, when Gordon was reportedly going to be released by the Browns. I said that, look, this might be more of a long-term and not a short-term plan with whatever team signs Josh Gordon. This might be a situation where you help the off-the-field stuff first. You address that with a foundation and framework in place around him, and then you deal with the on-the-field. And then it would take a strong organization, a patient organization, an organization with a veteran presence and a

heavy veteran leadership presence to make this work. And I do believe that the New England Patriots are such an organization. Let's face it, there's been stability in this organization for the most part since the 2000s. Same owner, same head coach, same quarterback. Three admittedly big and powerful personalities, but guys whose influence on this locker room cannot be understated. Now, how do the Patriots address this? That's sort of a lingering question mark in the back of my mind because we know from history, from recent history, that it sometimes takes a while for wide receivers to become acclimated to this offense. And there are a number of reasons for that, primarily playbook related.

This is an offense that puts the onus upon receivers and quarterback to be on the same page on a variety of route adjustments. The name and structure for route concepts is different. It's not like, for example, an Eric Coriel type offense where a play could be something like, you know, brown right, zap to strong left, X5, 8, 5, A check, B swing, rocket lion, or something like that. Where if you're a wide receiver, you need to know the formation, 585 A check B swing rocket lion or something like that.

Where if you're a wide receiver, you need to know the formation, the motion, that was the zap, Z across, and your route, 585. Something like that in New England might be Bronco, where you have to know Bronco means comeback route or post route or comeback route on the other side, dependent. Some offenses like the West Coast games spell that stuff out with a 5-8-5 numbering system. Others like the Aaron Perkins system, the Patriots run it. The naming structure is different.

And so it takes time to learn that. It takes time to learn the different rules and adjustments and conversion if you're on Bronco facing a hard cover two corner versus a soft cover four look. So the on the field stuff might be a work in progress. I know there might be this impetus to believe that Gordon can step in and start catching nine balls left and right for this team. I'd like to believe it too. But look at, for example, the Philip Dorsett. Recent history.

Just a handful, a smattering of catches last season. And now it looks like he's going to be more of a focal point of this offense because it takes time to get acclimated to this offense. And Josh Gordon's bringing some more baggage with him than just a guy trying to learn a new system. And so I understand why people are excited right now. But we might want to sort of pump the brakes on the excitement over Josh Gordon for a couple of reasons. One, the on-the-field adjustment. And two, the off-the-field situation and baggage.

We need to make sure that Josh Gordon, the person, is healthy, is in a good place, and has the support system and structure around him so he can stay in a healthy and good place. Now, maybe that's been done. And as Kane sort of talks about, you know, this is moving way too fast for a team to truly examine Gordon. You would have to imagine that if the Patriots made this move, they've at least done some of that process and they at least have an idea of what they need in place around him. So I want to make sure that that's fixed first before we get to the on the field stuff. I'd love to believe that he's fixed first before we get to the on-the-field stuff.

I'd love to believe that he's going to go out and catch six for 126 and two touchdowns on Sunday night. But I'm not so worried about Josh Gordon helping in the immediate term here. I'm more concerned with his long-term health and well-being and then him contributing to the New England Patriots. You know, six for 126 and two touchdowns in week three, it would be a dream type scenario. Six for 126 and two touchdowns in week 15. When it really matters against a team like Pittsburgh in that moment or in the divisional round or something like that, we see something like that.

And that's what I want this team to look towards, to move towards, to plan for. And so that's where I am on this right now. As far as the Patriots making this deal, I respect and think the world of Peter King, I wouldn't call this an asinine move at all. You're trading a fifth, a conditional fifth basically, for a guy that if he's not active for 10 games, you get a seventh back.

I know it doesn't seem like much, but what's the hit rate on fifth round picks? It's not that great. But if things go right with Josh Gordon, think about what you could be getting there in return. And so that's my snap reaction to this. I think the big picture, it's a low risk, high reward type of move for the New England Patriots. One that if it pans out, it's fantastic. But I do hope that they have the plan in place to try and maximize the return on this. And I do hope that people sort of approach this with a bit of patience.

You know, don't expect so much here at the beginning. Let the guy come in, get acclimated get his barons around him make sure that you have a plan in place a foundation in place the framework in place around him the support system around him in the lockdown patriot slack channel there's already been talk about how have moving with matthew slater maybe moving with brian hoyer there's obviously some relationship and some familiarity there now Have him move in with Julian Edelman. Some of the names that have been thrown out in the discussion that's going on right now over the Locked On Patriots Slack channel. Have a system in place for him.

Have a framework around him. Make sure the guy gets everything he needs, and then we'll look towards what he can do on the field. I'd love to be Ron. I'd love to see him come out right away and ball out. That would be fantastic. But I do to see him come out right away and ball out. That would be fantastic. But I do think that in a situation like this, sort of the long game approach and vision is warranted. I think it's a good move for New England. I hope it's a good move for Josh

Gordon, the person, because that should be also prominently on the front of our minds here, making sure that he is healthy, his well-being is in place, and he's well taken care of, and he can be in a position to be successful on the field, which we all want to see. That will do it for this emergency edition of the Locked on Patriots podcast. I will be back tomorrow to do some Tape Tuesday stuff.

I know we all want to move on to Detroit, but I want to look at these crossing routes because it's been a point of contention in the Locked on Patriots Slack channel. Why can't they defend these, but I want to look at these crossing routes because it's been a point of contention in the Locked On Patriots Slack channel. Why can't they defend these things? I want to look at those. I want to look at some protection stuff on the offensive side of the ball. I want to look at some route concepts. Maybe we'll think a little bit about how Josh Gordon could

fit in schematically. So we'll have a Tape Tuesday show tomorrow, but I did want to get on the microphone and at least get some thoughts down as we all react to this news of Josh Gordon being traded to the New England Patriots. Until next time, keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield and Locked on Patriots.