JOSH GORDON’S IMPACT
We can't expect much from Josh Gordon in his Patriots debut. After all, this is a complicated offense and Gordon has only been with the team for three practices.
But the Pats could build a limited package of plays for their talented receiver.
Gordon's former teammate, Andrew Hawkins, explained why the adjustment to the offense should be easier for Gordon than other new Patriots receivers.
“The offensive playbook of the Patriots hinges on the intermediate routes, the in and outs, the option routes,” said Hawkins, who spent the 2017 offseason here. “Those are for guys like me who need to be creative to get open, because I don't have that long, sustainable 4.3 speed and 6-foot-5 frame to elongate my arms and catch it over a defensive back like Randy Moss and Josh Gordon can.”
Hawkins added: “It'll be a little easier for him to get acclimated because if all else fails, if it takes a while for him to pick up the offense, if it takes a while for him to get on the same page with Tom, one thing that Tom Brady and Josh Gordon will be able to do, much like Tom Brady and Randy Moss, is line up, run a go ball, run a deep post, run a deep corner, and (Brady) will put it on the money and (Gordon) will outrun that guy.”
Gordon poses a threat on the perimeter. Even if Brady doesn't take any deep shots on Sunday, the mere presence of Gordon will change the way the Lions defend.