It was hard for Browns head coach Hue Jackson to stop smiling on Wednesday after watching ultra-talented wide receiver Josh Gordon practice with the team during the season for the first time in nearly three years.

Check out these comments:

*“It was good (having him at practice). He is something, now. It was a good first day with him – watching him run around and his effort on the practice field, making plays on the ball, catching balls and doing things. He is what I thought he was.”

*It helps tremendously (to have him competing in practice against the defense). It does. You can just see there is a different spirit at practice. With him running around, there is different competition – the receiver versus the corner. That is nothing to say against the guys who are here. Josh is just a different talent. I think we all recognized that and appreciate that. I think his teammates see it. That is what it is all about. He is a really good player. As I told him today, he is going to earn it. There are a lot of things he has to continue to do and work through, and I think he is willing to do that.”

*“Yes, no question (Gordon’s ability is still evident despite his not having practiced at all in the NFL in more than a year). It does. He is big. He is fast. He is athletic and strong. He has strong hands, and he can run. He can really run. That is exciting. He has some work to do the rest of this week, and next week, we will stick him out there and let him play.”

“Yes, I did today (play Gordon with the No. 1 offense a bit). You better believe I did. I just wanted to make myself feel happy for a little bit.”

Yes, Gordon is impressive. But Jackson – and everybody else – has to keep in mind that while, as mentioned, he is ultra-talented, he is also just as ultra-troubled. With that, then, there is hardly a guarantee that all of the prowess will ever translate to the game, and if it does, then history tells us there is little to virtually no chance that he will be able to sustain it.

So you can’t get hooked. You can’t get tricked.

For Josh Gordon is, sadly enough, just fool’s gold until he an prove differently.