Josh Gordon's trade to the New England Patriots might turn out to be the best deal of the NFL season. The Patriots somehow managed to snatch the 27 year-old former all-pro receiver with a 5th round pick. The real question is can Josh Gordon put his substance abuse past behind him or will his demons come back to find him?
2013. Josh Gordon put together one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. 87 catches and 1,646 yards despite missing the first two games of the season. To put it in perspective, only 9 players have ever recorded a season with more receiving yards, more than Randy Moss ever amassed in a season. The 117 yards per game ranks 6th in NFL history and were the most in 21 years (bar Calvin Johnson) and is more than Jerry Rice, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and OBJ have ever had. Josh Gordon was 22 at the time and well on his way to all-time greatness, then s*** hit the fan.
Gordon would go on to play a total of 10 games over the next four seasons due to various drug abuse related suspensions. 5 in 2014, suspended for all of 2015 and 2016 and then another 5 in 2017. Josh Gordon is not the same player he once was, his catch ratio (a stat that tracks how often the receiver catches balls thrown in his direction) which reached a stunning 54.7% in 2013 had dropped all the way to 43% in the 2017 season. However, there is hope, Josh Gordon gets to catch balls from Tom Brady.
Randy Moss was on a similar downward trajectory in 2007 when he signed for the Patriots. His 44% catch ratio the season before with the Oakland Raiders was a career low and the 553 yards and 3 touchdowns had many pundits thinking he was over the hill. Then he signed with the Patriots, his catch ratio jumped to 61.3% and he registered 23 touchdowns and a 1493 yards. In simpler words, Tom Brady revitalized Randy Moss.
The Josh Gordon trade might not work out for the Patriots but a 5th round pic is well worth the risk. If this works, the NFL could see a combination we haven't seen since Brady and Moss.
It is time to throw away the American inferiority complex with its place in the sport, where many blindly claim that technique should come above all in choosing and developing the best prospects and that the U.S. is not an international power because it cares too much about athleticism.
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