The trade that sent receiver Josh Gordon from the Browns to the Patriots is akin to the sending of a troubled child to reform school. (Yes, I actually used to get that threat from my parents, from time to time.) Gordon, if he’s ever going to reform in pro football, will do so in New England, where he’ll experience a kind of accountability that he likely never has.
So far, apparently, so good.
“[He’s] really been eager to get in there and learn everything we’re doing and you know, just try to acclimate himself to what the program is,” quarterback Tom Brady told reporters on Friday regarding Gordon, whose locker is next to Brady’s.
Beyond that, Brady didn’t say much about Gordon. Here’s the excerpt.
Q: “Have you thrown Josh Gordon some balls in practice?”
A: “Yeah.”
Q: “How did he look?”
A: “Like an NFL receiver looks.”
Q: “How about speed? Everything looks great?”
A: “I think we’re working at it. I mean, look, he’s been here for a few days so we’re working at it every day and every day you try to make improvements. We’re out there – everyone who’s out there is working hard, trying to practice, doing whatever they need to do to understand the playbook, to understand routes, understand how we do things. So we’re just trying to work at it.”
No one would expect Brady to say much more, in part because coach Bill Belichick doesn’t believe the “do you job” mantra includes talking about how well, or not well, teammates do theirs. Ultimately, we’ll see on Sunday night whether Gordon plays (he’s listed as questionable with a hamstring injury) and, if so, what he does.
