Josh Gordon Stepping Away?

[TomPatriot]

My only shred of optimism comes not from comparing this Patriots team to past Patriots teams, but comparing them to other very deeply flawed teams who were very lucky to even make the playoffs then everything went right for them. I'm talking the six or so wild card teams that have won the SB, including some #6 seeds. Weird things can happen in the playoffs.

It's not much to hold on to though, and now it seems to have disappeared like (as the Warden in Shawshank said) a fart in the wind.

This is close to the reason I hang on to some optimism. Teams can turn it around unexpectedly (see the 2007 Giants, the 2008 Cardinals, 2010 Packers, etc.), especially this year where no one is really that great and every team has flaws.

 

[maineman209]

Uh, maybe somebody ought to tell Rapoport about this...

Either that, or let McDaniels know that it doesn't quite cut it to sit the guy for only the very last play of the game.

My notes from that week are that the "10 games active" condition applied only to the 7th rounder that the Pats got with Gordon in return for their 5th-rounder, and NOT to the 5th-round pick itself. Even that point became irrelevant a couple days later once the Pats got the Browns to give them the 7th-rounder without any conditions.

IOW, the Pats wouldn't be getting that 5th-rounder back even if Gordon had been active for only one game, and they get the 7th-rounder, regardless.

 

[Joey007]

Yesterday, in reference to Gilmore's Pro Bowl selection, BB remarked on how basically everybody gets uniformly better their second season in a system. Kind of a moot point today, but my thoughts immediately turned to how different things could have been these last couple weeks had we instead paired Gordon with a 2nd-year Cooks.

Definitely bothers me. In the long term? Sure, the better value was to trade him off and acquire Wynn. Wynn still can become a great player in this league.

But if you were trying to win THIS year, it wasn’t a good move.

 

[signbabybrady]

Do what I'm going to do. Outside of maybe the wild card weekend, watch the playoff games with zero expectations of the Patriots winning. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Fairweather Kontra. Always knew you had no backbone.

 

[Yehoodi]

Kind of a bummer Gordon is gone, but we kind of thought this might happen.

 

[supafly]

This is close to the reason I hang on to some optimism. Teams can turn it around unexpectedly (see the 2007 Giants, the 2008 Cardinals, 2010 Packers, etc.), especially this year where no one is really that great and every team has flaws.

Just for kicks, go back and look at some of the talent at the important positions. We’re not getting Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, or Steve Breaston in their prime (all had over 1,000 yds receiving that year), nor are we getting the powerful front four of the 2007 Giants.

 

[maineman209]

Darn, one game too many, Pats don't get a pick back.

That was never the case with the 5th-rounder.

 

[Snooky97]

There seems to be plenty of competition for today's award. I can only marvel at how very nice it must be to be them, never to have seen a coworker or loved one struggle with mental health and/or addiction issues must be a real blessing.

Couldn’t agree more with this if I tried!

 

[signbabybrady]

I'm fine with expecting something good to happen and then being wrong when I have reason for it. This team gives me no reason for it. This is 2009 all over again, IMO.

I don't agree with 2009 analogies and I think it's just lazy analysis. The 09 team was very different. Brady was coming back from a major injury & they missed the playoffs the year before not losing the SB on one or two plays. There are plenty of reasons to think this team is more mentally strong than 09.

 

[Kontradiction]

Dorsett had 256 snaps through the first five games. He's had 77 total snaps in the 9 games since.

He'll get more now. Still wish they would have made use of some 0 personnel while Gordon was still on the team as a way to get him on to the field.

 

[203Pat]

I don't agree with 2009 analogies and I think it's just lazy analysis. The 09 team was very different. Brady was coming back from a major injury & they missed the playoffs the year before not losing the SB on one or two plays.

I’m pretty sure the comparisons are based on the fact the team isn’t playing the way it should. Not based on records.

 

[Sicilian]

Just for kicks, go back and look at some of the talent at the important positions. We’re not getting Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, or Steve Breaston in their prime (all had over 1,000 yds receiving that year), nor are we getting the powerful front four of the 2007 Giants.

To be fair, the Giants DL (while FANTASTIC), wasn't talked about much going into the playoffs because the rest of their D groups were considered subpar at best. I remember lots of talk about how the Patriots (who were miles better in overall talent) would exploit the Giants weak secondary. Didn't work out that way.

And that super talented Arizona team lost by almost 40 to a Matt Cassel led Patriots team. They were good, and they got hot at the right time, but let's not pretend they were some sleeping juggernaut that suddenly woke up.

 

[Kontradiction]

Fairweather Kontra. Always knew you had no backbone.

Actually, having a backbone is knowing that the team has weaknesses and still supporting them through the tough times. Not disappearing for long stretches of times after a tough loss.

This forum has WAYYYYYYYYY too many people that are on it because they aren't fans of uniform and team first. The sooner those people get crapped out, the better the forum will be.

 

[signbabybrady]

I’m pretty sure the comparisons are based on the fact the team isn’t playing the way it should. Not based on records.

Pretty sure the comparisons are really just based on that one quote from BB in 09 and people who want to quit on this team just say this is the same thing.

 

[Kontradiction]

I don't agree with 2009 analogies and I think it's just lazy analysis. The 09 team was very different. Brady was coming back from a major injury & they missed the playoffs the year before not losing the SB on one or two plays. There are plenty of reasons to think this team is more mentally strong than 09.

A mentally tough team doesn't have a losing record on the road whilst looking horrible while doing so.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

The NFL needs to have entirely different policies for PET's and addiction issues. To treat them as the same thing is ignorant and destructive to both the League and individual players.

They are treated differently. Players suspended for PEDs can’t have any contact with the team or players. Substance abusers are allowed to continue to hang around the team and have contact with players, though they can’t practice, play, or go to meetings.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Actually, having a backbone is knowing that the team has weaknesses and still supporting them through the tough times. Not disappearing for long stretches of times after a tough loss.

This forum has WAYYYYYYYYY too many people that are on it because they aren't fans of uniform and team first. The sooner those people get crapped out, the better the forum will be.

Yeah, I'm not sure how "this team isn't very good as currently constructed but they're still my team so I support them" could possibly be construed as fairweather fandom. It's the exact opposite.

Conflating belief that a team can win the Super Bowl with support for that team, and assuming that someone who doesn't think the team can win the SB has implicitly stopped supporting the team, OTOH? That is pretty much the definition of fairweather fandom isn't it?

 

[maineman209]

Ur kidding me.

Based on my own notes from that week, there may be a widspread misunderstanding of the original deal.

The Pats traded a 5th rounder for Gordon, PLUS a conditional 7th. The "condition" being that, if Gordon was active was active for more than 10 games, the Browns would keep their 7th-rounder.

However, the Pats wanted the the Browns' 7th-rounder without conditions, and stood firm until the Browns caved after a couple days (which is why Gordon's "official" acquisition announcement was delayed for a couple days).

 

[captain insano]

this was so predictable. is anybody surprised by this?

 

[signbabybrady]

Actually, having a backbone is knowing that the team has weaknesses and still supporting them through the tough times. Not disappearing for long stretches of times after a tough loss.

This forum has WAYYYYYYYYY too many people that are on it because they aren't fans of uniform and team first. The sooner those people get crapped out, the better the forum will be.

Your acting like this team is Rod Rust bad and completely giving up on the season. Just because you keep posting doesn't make your actions any less fairweather.
Despite any issues this team has it's still in the division lead and going to play in the playoffs. And still has a damn good shot at winning the 3 or 4 games it will take.