'Shutout said:
Bracie, what's the word? We getting gordon in there perm?
We knew about the injuries to the other wide receivers to provide the opportunity to Josh Gordon and I also saw this where Norwood was also excited with an opportunity but I wasn't anticipating him getting as many chances as he got.I didn't expect Norwood to blow up for two reasons. First, Greg Little wasn't the only receiver dropping passes against Baltimore, Norwood also had a few drops so I didn't think he would get as many opportunities as he got. Secondly, he never had a break-out type of game like that before so I felt that Gordon would get more opportunities but the way the game played where Gordon ripped the top off the defense that probably opened things up for Norwood who had a career game.
"Wide receiver Jordan Norwood registered career-highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (81). His previous career-bests were five receptions (at San Francisco on October 30, 2011) and 69 yards (at Cincinnati on November 27, 2011)."
This article appeared a few days before the game:
My link
Cleveland Browns: WR Jordan Norwood hopes to take advantage of extra time
BEREA, Ohio - As an undrafted free agent who spent his first two years on the practice squad, Jordan Norwood knows what it means to be patient.
And while being patient, Norwood prepared and dreamed about getting not only a chance to play, but also a chance to play more than a handful of downs.
Norwood was inactive the first three games of this season for the Cleveland Browns. He played last week and caught four passes for 56 yards in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Norwood finished tied for the team-high with 10 targets in the game.
Norwood could get even more time on Sunday against the New York Giants because of injuries to rookie Travis Benjamin and Mohamed Massaquoi. Josh Cribbs will play Sunday, but his time could be limited because he's coming off last week's hit that left him unconscious...
Norwood and Massaquoi are similiar players but Mo-Mass is a gimp-puppy. Even if this game was a break-out game for Norwood it probably means he'll cut into Massaquoi's and Benjamin's PT.Gordon is being groomed to be an X or the Browns #1 WR so the way I see it he will bump G-Little down to the Y or #2 WR leaving, Mo-Mass and Norwood and Benjamin/Cribbs, etc to scramble for playing time in the slot, third/fourth wideouts. Right now Gordon still hasn't broken thru IMHO but I think he's on his way.
Gordon seems to be focused on his goals. Brandon Weeden seems to know which plays will work with Gordon and maybe I'm reading into his comments but it seems to me like he feels this was a watershed moment in Gordon's development.
My link
... “I think it was something I needed to get done for myself, but I really have my mind set on team goals and aspirations and really just battling and trying to get a win,” Gordon said following the loss. “When I contribute to a win is when I’ll consider it a breakout game.”
QB Brandon Weeden on the 62 yard bomb to Gordon >>
--------On whether they schemed to get linebacker Chase Blackburn to cover Gordon on that play…
Weeden: "Yeah, we knew, kind of, what coverage we were going to get. It was all about that strong-side safety, you know, what he did. [Jordan] Cameron ran a little corner route on him and it's kind of all on him. If no, it matches Josh Gordon on the fly versus a linebacker. We dialed it up, and you love when those happen there, and they're perfect."
... “He needed that and offensively, we needed that,” Weeden said of Gordon’s first touchdown. “I liked that play all week and I thought it had a chance. I circled that one on my play sheet, one that I was hoping we would call and we dialed it up. We executed it kind of how we dialed it up and it’s always nice when it happens. That was part of the fast start. We just weren’t able to build on that.
Gordon caught a 20-yard touchdown -- his second of the game and season -- on a go-route at the 3:56 mark of the fourth quarter in Sunday’s game. Gordon’s reception cut the Browns’ deficit to 14 points at 41-27.
Gordon’s most prolific game in a Browns uniform came just three days after offensive coordinator Brad Childress said that the first-year wide receiver had his “best practice as a professional” on Wednesday.
The two routes he connected on mesh with Gordon's size and speed. He beat double coverage but got the mismatch against the linebacker and caught the safety being a lil-bit out of position and/or slow to provide help over the top. Gordon simply blew-by the LB and outright beat the safety.On the second TD he beat the corner off the line and the safety tried to cut in front of the throw but give Weeden credit, it was a PERFECT throw into a very teenie-tiny window and Gordon caught the ball in stride.
Both routes were verticle into double coverage, no comebacks or crossing routes, nothing really dazzling with moves, just raw powerful natural ability. I am really high on him long-term to develop into a solid #1 WR. The kid is only 21 years old, the youngest guy on the team. He's had the past 'issues' so the little blurb about Offensive Coordinator Brad Childress mentioning it was his 'best week of practice' that he had seen of Gordon implies to me that the coaches had to hunker down with Gordon this past week because they 'had to', IOWs they probably would prefer to work with veteran WRs who may not have the natural abilities of Gordon because its easier to deal with vets who they don't have to work as hard getting up to speed.
I think now the coaches see how much the extra work coaching Gordon can pay off so they will likely spend more time with him and give him more PT and Gordon will master things and the coaches won't have to work as hard so by the end of the year he could be a very good WR. I expect setbacks since he's so young and immature but the kid has legitimate natural ability that few have.
Norwood hopefully has earned more snaps but I think Gordon has too.
Greg Little was virtually ignored (targeted twice, no catches). Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin missed the game with hamstring injuries. Gordon became the go-to guy for Weeden and caught two touchdown passes.