Go on the record: What is your assessment of the Gordon acquisition (poll)

[bbobbo]

one player has never derailed this team the past 20 years without being sent away and its not going to change now.

adalius thomas came close in 2009. but that was unexpected since he seemed to buy into the patriot way in the beginning (remember his "humble pie" t-shirts?).

everyone knows about gordon's issues so he'll be on a short leash. he may not end up being a big difference maker, but i can't see his presence really damaging the team.

 

[Ring 6]

If either Gronk or Edelman gets hurt long term or deep into the season we are not winning the Super Bowl. The passing offense must be high powered enough to carry what may end up being a very unreliable defense in the playoffs.

I'll take the 'risk'.

I don’t agree

 

[edkk323]

STOP PUTTING This stupid "Ray Lewis might kill this guy. It is what Ray Lewis does" option there without letting me pick at least two. OK？！

 

[mgteich]

Yup.

And Britt and Matthews are on speed dial.

I'm excited I firmly believe he will work out.

Gronk, Edelman, Gordon, Hogan, Dorsett

Good luck defenses.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Sure. But gronk was gone in November. If Gordon is gone after game 9 then I won’t worry about the impact. I just feel it’s more likely he flakes the deeper into the season and playoffs we get.

Why?

 

[SHOWTIME15]

He has/had a substance abuse issue. I'm citing general rates of relapse. Nobody is rooting for Gordon more than I am but, if I were a betting man, I'd bet on a relapse.

No one in NE is going to coddle him. It’s sink or swim here. Either he adapts to the Patriot Way or he’s out. The browns poured a ton of resources into helping him out and it didn’t work. No organization is going to care for him as much as the Browns did.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

My concern is that the better he is the more reliant the offense becomes on him. I am not a proponent of building (to an extent) your offense around someone who has a big chance of disappearing one day...

If the Patriots rely on him then it likely means that they will rely on Dorsett and maybe Hogan less. If the Patriots later had to rely on Hogan and Dorsett more, will they forget what they have learned? Will Brady forget how to connect with them? Will Josh forget those plays?

I see the concern, but I think that, unless the flake-out happens in pregame warm-ups, the team can adjust back to life without Gordon just fine, with the exception of losing roster position #53 on a McCarron-type player

 

[DarrylS]

Pity the team who has to create defensive schemes when Gronk, Gordon, White and Edelman are on the field together and Brady is the QB...

All of this is based on the assumption that he is here for week #5....

 

[tasmlab]

The FO is really making stuff up/spitballing at this point with the position. It's like they are guessing or just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Seems unusual.

I'm completely secular, but my hopes is that Gordon finds Jesus quickly and his past disappears.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

STOP PUTTING This stupid "Ray Lewis might kill this guy. It is what Ray Lewis does" option there without letting me pick at least two. OK？！

Up to two choices are now allowed!

 

[ctpatsfan77]

How could the answer be ANYTHING but the second selection???.... this was a low priced gamble that puts Gordon on a leash and if he doesn't pan out then only a 5th rounder was lost - how the hell could it be anything else?? - one player has never derailed this team the past 20 years without being sent away and its not going to change now.

And don't forget the Pats get a pick back if he doesn't toe the line.

 

[Sicilian]

Since it's Tuesday and I'm in the mood to dream a bit, here's the best case scenario I see playing out with JG:

He toes line, stays clean long enough to make it through the season. He adds a dynamic outside the numbers element to the offense, and coupled with a defense that is better than it showed Sunday, the Patriots win the Super Bowl.

Enter 2019, Gordon seems to have turned a corner, having turned in a great season on a championship team. I don't think the Patriots would risk a long term contract on him, even despite the success, but they slap a first round tender on him, and someone like the Jets or Cowboys signs him to a big deal, sending the pick back to us.

So the trade ends up being a 5th round pick for a year of Gordon, a Super Bowl, and a 1st round pick.

Okay, back to reality...

 

[edkk323]

If the Patriots rely on him then it likely means that they will rely on Dorsett and maybe Hogan less. If the Patriots later had to rely on Hogan and Dorsett more, will they forget what they have learned? Will Brady forget how to connect with them? Will Josh forget those plays?

I see the concern, but I think that, unless the flake-out happens in pregame warm-ups, the team can adjust back to life without Gordon just fine, with the exception of losing roster position #53 on a McCarron-type player

TOO FKING Late, Bro. I already picked Ray L murdered two dudes now this poll won't be as accurate

 

[Ring 6]

If the Patriots rely on him then it likely means that they will rely on Dorsett and maybe Hogan less. If the Patriots later had to rely on Hogan and Dorsett more, will they forget what they have learned? Will Brady forget how to connect with them?

I see the concern, but I think that, unless the flake-out happens in pregame warm-ups, the team can adjust back to life without Gordon just fine, with the exception of losing roster position #53 on a McCarron-type player

I see it as a much bigger deal.
Look at it this way. If in 2007 moss quit in week 16 would we have been prepared for the playoffs?
In 2009 we lost welker in week 17 and the offense was abysmal in the playoffs.
In 2013 we lose gronk in week 14 and the offense never gets it together.

Injuries can’t be planned for but it’s nuts to say losing a guy who is a key piece of your offense late in the season is crippling. In this case it’s not injury risk but on top of the normal injury risk we are adding a guy who, if he is what people expect, will become a centerpiece of the offense that is as unreliable as it gets.
Edelman Hogan Dorsett Patterson would be a better receiver group if they play most of a full
season together than if they each have a reduced role (severely reduced for everyone but Edelman) then suddenly get thrust into a larger role our of necessity

 

[JackBauer]

Not if it fails during the bye week before the divisional round. They will be substantially worse off.

It is more likely a question of when not if and that when could derail the season.
I hope he makes it all the way through and we have an additional weapon but the rug getting pulled out at the wrong time is a big concern.

Hence why I used the word likely.

I have my doubts that the pre-Gordon offense was championship-caliber, so it's worth it even with that worst-case risk, imo.

 

[Jangles]

I see it as a much bigger deal.
Look at it this way. If in 2007 moss quit in week 16 would we have been prepared for the playoffs?
In 2009 we lost welker in week 17 and the offense was abysmal in the playoffs.
In 2013 we lose gronk in week 14 and the offense never gets it together.

Injuries can’t be planned for but it’s nuts to say losing a guy who is a key piece of your offense late in the season is crippling. In this case it’s not injury risk but on top of the normal injury risk we are adding a guy who, if he is what people expect, will become a centerpiece of the offense that is as unreliable as it gets.
Edelman Hogan Dorsett Patterson would be a better receiver group if they play most of a full
season together than if they each have a reduced role (severely reduced for everyone but Edelman) then suddenly get thrust into a larger role our of necessity

Unless this defense does a complete 180 and becomes something resembling even an adequate unit, we’ll have a lot bigger concerns than Josh Gordon

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

In 2009 we lost welker in week 17 and the offense was abysmal in the playoffs.
In 2013 we lose gronk in week 14 and the offense never gets it together.

There were no schemes used all year long that didn't heavily involve Welker in 2009 and Gronk in 2013. It was surely going to be a problem, with the suddenness of their exit and no pre-existing plan B.

The Patriots have had a training camp, 4 exhibition games, and 2 in-season games scheming to overcome the loss of Edelman, game planning that also did not involve Gordon.

If the waitress unexpectedly doesn't bring gravy, I don't think the meal is spoiled.

 

[Drewski]

I voted for the GOOD option. I just can't see what the risk is other than him failing a test, not playing 10 games, and you moved a pick 40 spots on Day 3 of the draft.

If hes 2013 Flash, my goodness.

If hes 2012 Rookie Flash, you get a 50/805/5 (so half of his 2013) and that is worth a flier draft pick everyday of the week.

If hes a quarter of his 2013 self, you're getting 22/400/2

If hes less than that, he is consuming coverage that would otherwise bottle up Gronk, Jules or Hogs.

From Josh's POV, he is getting a chance with one of the premier organizations in the sport, with a program in place that he will buy into or be gone, probably forever, and he gets to catch balls from a QB that he has openly ravved about on Instagram in the past and is on a level so far beyond what he has played with in the past it isnt worth putting all the names in the same sentence.

He has the chance to be Andy Dufresne..."crawled through a river of **** and came out clean on the other side."

I root for both his personal success in battling his demons as well as his on the field success.

 

[IcyPatriot]

As always I like that Belichick has big balls and is fearless of always seeking to improve.

 

[PatsFan2]

Unless this defense does a complete 180 and becomes something resembling even an adequate unit, we’ll have a lot bigger concerns than Josh Gordon

Until then we try to outscore other Teams.