Normally, the New England Patriots aren’t a team that needs saving, not when they have the greatest quarterback of all time behind center.
Tom Brady has long been the Batman of the NFL, moonlighting as a caped crusader on the football field and a real-life caricature of Bruce Wayne off it.
The defiant 41-year-old legend has carried an often undermanned Patriots team to five Super Bowls and eight AFC championships, but now that he’s playing with arguably the worst receiving corps of his career, he could use a helping hand.
However, it can’t be any ordinary help to get this Patriots team over the hump and prepared to potentially face the vaunted Jacksonville Jaguars defense again in the playoffs. Brady needs Josh Gordon.
No, he needs “Flash” Gordon.
JOSH GORDON. 😱
Unreal. @JOSH_GORDONXII
📺: CBS #Browns #Kickoff2018 https://t.co/XuTsnhhZtr
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2018
“Flash” is Gordon’s alter-ego when he’s locked in and focused on using his God-given talents on the football field. He’s the guy that was once considered by many as the best receiver in the NFL back in 2013, when he posted 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
There was no Justice League team-up back in those days for Gordon, who put up ridiculous numbers with Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer throwing him the ball. One can only imagine the possibilities if he was running out wide and catching passes from Brady.
Not anymore.
That pipe dream has now become a reality with the Patriots sending over a 2019 fifth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns on Monday in exchange for the standout receiver.
There has only been one other time in Brady’s career where he had a freakish receiving talent on the outside. Everyone remembers the 2007 season, where the golden boy quarterback broke multiple records with Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss.
That isn’t to suggest Gordon will be the next Moss upon arrival, but given his size and physical abilities, he could certainly come close. There were many lessons taken away from Sunday’s loss against the Jaguars, but the most obvious was the fact that the Patriots lacked the receiving personnel to match-up.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski is still playing at an all-time great level, but he isn’t capable of going it alone against the best secondary in football. The return of Julian Edelman will be a huge lift to the offense, but even with his favorite receiving target back on the field, Brady still might not have enough firepower.
Gordon is the one guy on the depth chart that could line up across from a first-team All-Pro corner like Jalen Ramsey and win battles in one-on-one coverage. He’d soak up extra attention from opposing defenses, which would ultimately open up the field for more opportunities for Gronkowski and Edelman.
That’s assuming he buys into the Patriot Way and stays on the straight and narrow. After facing multiple suspensions, his continued fight with sobriety remains the elephant in the room, and he is heading to a team that rarely gives out second chances.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has cut guys for doing as little as fumbling a football in the past. If Gordon steps out of line, he’ll be back on a plane ride out of Foxborough, and the Patriots would wipe their hands clean of the situation and move on as if nothing happened.
Honestly, some of the negativity from the move is downright surprising considering the fine print of the deal. There is a condition to the trade that would force the Browns to send over a seventh-round draft pick back to the Patriots, if Gordon isn’t on the active roster for at least 10 games in the season.
So Belichick essentially traded a fifth-round pick for an experiment. If things go wrong, the worst that would happen is the Patriots move back a couple rounds in the draft.
That’s the only risk involved in potentially pairing Brady with his best receiving option since Moss.
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