Browns head coach Hue Jackson said before Week One that wide receiver Josh Gordon would not be in the starting lineup, but Gordon wound up on the field for the first offensive snap anyway.
Jackson called it a miscommunication with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who called for a personnel group that included Gordon for the opening play against the Steelers. Haley was asked about how things played out when he met with the media on Thursday.
“It’s a silly question,” Haley said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “The whole starter thing to me is comical.”
Outside of the fact that Jackson was adamant that Gordon would not start, it’s hard to disagree with Haley. Gordon played 69-of-89 snaps last Sunday, which makes the difference between play one and play two pretty insignificant in the big picture.
What’s more significant is the need for the Browns to get more out of Gordon and the passing game in general against the Saints this weekend. Haley said Thursday that there are “a lot of intricate details” involved in getting to that point and we’ll see how far along they’ve gotten this Sunday.