WR GORDON IMPRESSES BROWNS IN RETURN
Teammates taking notice of WR’s skill, positive attitude.
As he builds his body into football shape and develops trust with his teammates, Josh Gordon feels forgiven.
Since returning to the Browns following an indefinite drug suspension by the NFL for numerous abuse violations, Gordon doesn’t sense any resentment or anger directed at him. Only love.
“I do love this environment, these guys here, these coaches here from top to bottom,” the former All-Pro wide receiver said Friday. “It’s been an all-around conducive environment in what I’m trying to do. There hasn’t been any type of negativity or any kind of energy being sucked out of the room or anything like that . ... It’s all good right now.”
Gordon practiced this week for the first time in 14 months, and as long as he continues to abide by guidelines established in his conditional reinstatement by Commissioner Roger Goodell, the 26-year-old can play next week in a regular-season game for the first time since the end of the 2014 season.
That’s the next step. Until he can take it, Gordon has to stay sober.
Earlier this week, coach Hue Jackson said when Gordon left the team on the eve of last season to enter rehab, he and the Browns were ready to move on from their troubled star.
Jackson had a change of heart when he learned more about Gordon’s addiction and background.
Gordon was warmed by Jackson’s compassion.
“That just shows the humanity of it. People can make a turn,” Gordon said. “People can make a change at any given moment just depending on the situation and the variables in place. For him, it was just being enlightened on the situation.”
Early in his return, Gordon has wowed teammates new and old with his supreme skills, positive outlook and a renewed commitment.
“He’s a playmaker,” said rookie defensive end Myles Garrett. “We want to win and he’s one of the best receivers out there.”
While he was away from football, Gordon worked out at a rehab facility in Florida and returned in tip-top physical shape.
Jackson put him with Cleveland’s first-team offense earlier this week, a tease for what’s to come when the winless Browns (0-10), who visit Cincinnati this week, play the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 3.
Dolphins: Quarterback Jay Cutler (concussion) was ruled out of Sunday’s game at New England, and backup Matt Moore will make his second start of the season.
Jaguars: Cornerback Jalen Ramsey said he will not play Sunday against Arizona. Ramsey was added to the team’s injury report Friday after jamming his hand on a pass play in practice.
Saints: Ruled out their top two cornerbacks for Sunday’s game at the Rams. Marshon Lattimore (ankle), the top cornerback selected in the past draft, and Ken Crawley (abdominal), a second-year pro, have not practiced this week after being injured against the Redskins.
Late Thursday
(At) Redskins 20, Giants 10: In one embarrassing fourth-quarter sequence that drew boos from the home crowd, Kirk Cousins and Washington went from planning to punt on fourth-and-1 to calling timeout and deciding to go for it, to drawing a delay-of-game penalty and, in the end, punting anyway.
By the end, Cousins was hearing cheers, because he made up for a pick-six by showing the patience to produce a pair of second-half TD passes on slow-developing plays, helping the Redskins (5-6) beat New York (2-9) in a drab game between two injury-depleted teams.