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The future is sky high for Gordon and the Browns

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4th December, 2013
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After setting an NFL record with back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, Josh Gordon is finally getting the national recognition he deserves.

Those who have followed Josh Gordon from his days at Baylor know exactly what he is capable of, but the majority of NFL fans are asking who is Josh Gordon?

The Cleveland Browns took Gordon in the second round (first overall) in the 2012 Supplementary Draft.

Players generally enter the supplementary draft because they missed the filing deadline for the NFL draft or because issues developed which affected their eligibility (such as academic or disciplinary matters).

The issue for Gordon was drug related; he spent the entire 2011 on the sideline after Baylor suspended him for repeatedly failing drug tests for marijuana.

Even during college there were hints of the immense talent.

In his 2010 season at Baylor, he caught 42 passes for 714 yards and seven touchdowns from a quarterback named Robert Griffin the third.

Unfortunately, Gordon was run of Baylor after an arrest and a failed drug test. He had not played a game in 18 months when the Browns took a massive risk on him.

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Tom Heckert, the former GM of the Cleveland Browns, was the one guy who decided Gordon was worth the risk.

“He is a big kid, he can run and he has huge hands and long arms. An impressive looking kid,” Heckert said.

“There were some concerns about him, so I drilled him pretty hard and he didn’t back down, and he told me everything I thought I needed to hear from him.

“He promised he would be a guy we loved having in Cleveland. He is pretty fired about being a Brown.”

Despite being fired, Browns fans should be thankful at some of the pieces Heckert acquired as GM of the Browns and Gordon may be his lasting legacy in Cleveland.

In his rookie season, Gordon showed signs of what could achieve, with 50 catches for 805 yards and five touchdowns.

There were some key mistakes at times, with very easy passes dropped and some route running mishaps.

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Earlier this year, taking Gordon looked to have backfired, with him being suspended for two games for breaching the NFL substance abuse policy.

He is currently in a drug program but one more mishap will leave him with a similar year to 2011 in Baylor, a year on the sidelines.

It was that concern that had the Browns looking to trade Gordon earlier this year. Lucky for them they did not.

That two game suspension may have been a blessing in disguise for the Browns. Gordon has come out of the gates firing on all cylinders and has got the job done for his team.

Gordon has finally realised the talent he has and so has the entire NFL.

With 237 on 14 catches last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 261 on 10 catches Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gordon did something that even Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss could never do; he produced the first back-to-back 200 yard receiving game.

Gordon is currently ranked second in the NFL in receiving yards, with 1,249 yards, with Calvin Johnson (1,299) currently ahead of him.

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Gordon however, has done it in one less game than Johnson and arguably with three average quarterbacks.

At 22, the sky is the limit for Josh Gordon; he is 6 ft 3 and has great speed and hands. He has managed to put up insane numbers with the likes of Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell throwing him the ball.

The Browns have stated their interest in drafting a franchise quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Gordon is already a top ten wide out in the NFL and that could increase with a franchise quarterback.

Having Josh Gordon with a franchise quarterback could be the start of something special for the Browns franchise.

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