After missing the first two-plus weeks of training camp and the opening preseason game with a quadriceps injury, wide receiver Josh Gordon practiced with the Browns on Monday for the first time in 2016 after having been placed onto the active list earlier in the day.
He said all the right things when he met with the media before practice, but talk is cheap. We’ve heard all this before from Gordon, leading us to believe that he had finally gotten his act together and thus he would turn his life – and his career – around. And every time, he has reverted back to his old ways of getting into trouble off the field and eventually being suspended by the NFL.
It’s like a scene straight out of the movie, “Groundhog Day.” Only it isn’t funny, but instead sad – very, very sad.
For the time being, Gordon is nothing more than some circus sideshow. He is a tease, someone who keeps whetting everybody’s appetite with his potential, only to disappoint them again and again and again with his inability to get even remotely close to fulfilling it. That ends only when he begins to show that he’s serious this time.
Call us when that happens. We’re not holding our breath. We’re sick and tired of that silly game.
Until then, Gordon is actually hurting the Browns by adding yet another cog into a disjointed passing attack where there is already a lot of moving parts that need to be fitted together.
And did we mention how his presence is now a huge distraction to the Browns, who, because of how much work they have to do in order to get themselves back on track, can’t afford anything but total focus from everybody involved?
Browns head coach Hue Jackson has been great thus far in his short time here in handling controversy. He did it with running back Isaiah Crowell, and he’ll do it with Gordon.
Crowell is being counted on a lot to help the Browns this year. But right now, they would be nothing short of foolish if they counted on Gordon for anything at all.
