Wednesday Morning QB (Week 16)
This week started with a sad note about an extremely talented receiver unable to make his way back to the league in full force.
Josh Gordon was set to return this year when the league lifted his suspension for failing a drug test thanks to his commitment to sobriety.
Gordon has been one of those cautionary tales for years as he was a heavy drug user throughout his college and NFL career.
He even admitted to playing multiple games high during his time in the league and after multiple failed tests the league made the decision to ban him indefinitely.
He had to go to work fixing the mental health issues that led to his addiction issues and after three seasons in rehab, he finally got his chance to come back and play the game he loved.
It was at the perfect time too as the Browns were just about to go through an overhaul that would bring new hope to the team.
He played in the final few games of the 2017 season with the Browns then saw them sign Jarvis Landry and draft Baker Mayfield.
If Gordon could get back to the way he had played in years before he could be a big part of a potential rise for the Browns.
Then in the offseason, he refused to report to training camp claiming that he wanted to work on his mental health before arriving with the team.
It was an acceptable answer although one that had a few people raising their eyebrows about exactly what he was doing.
He did eventually return to the team before the start of the season and began trying to find his place in this new-look team.
The season got underway and quickly Gordon was back in trouble as he was traded to New England.
Originally reports surfaced that the hamstring injury was suffered away from the team and that it was the final straw for the team.
Later it was revealed that he showed up late to the facility and wasn’t himself, leading many to believe that he was using again.
The Browns were done giving him chances and moved on concentrating on the new group that they had around the facility.
They traded him to the Patriots and moved on while the Patriots looked to take on a project.
Many had hoped that playing with the Patriots would help him get back on track as the Patriots are notorious for having a very specific culture.
They are both criticized and celebrated for their ability to take personality out of the game and just get to football.
They have taken on other major personalities and players with issues only to see those players fall into the background and not make any noise while playing well.
This was widely considered a last chance for Gordon who brought a ton of talent to the league but needed to get right off of the field.
He had been doing well for most of the season as he looked like the latest in a long line of great players to be affected by the Patriots’ Way.
This week he entered the headlines again though as he announced that he would be taking a step away from the game to focus on his mental health.
It was similar reasoning for why he had reported late to the Browns in training camp and there was still some doubt about that reasoning.
Only a day later it was revealed that Gordon was facing another indefinite suspension due to a failed drug test.
The news brought more issues for Gordon as nobody had wanted to say it or give it as the official reason for his limited issues this year but it seemed as though his struggles only continued.
The He showed up late to training camp and when he was late to the Browns facility earlier in the year they claimed he wasn’t himself.
That seems to lean towards the potential of him using again and this news re-affirmed that for everyone to see.
He will likely enter limbo again and may never come back leading to one of the worst wastes of talents in the NFL.
He will remain a cautionary tale for everyone coming in as his drug use got in the way of him playing the game he loved.
Fifth Quarter
The Debate Continues
The Oakland Raiders are set to become the Las Vegas Raiders when they eventually move to Sin City. The only issue is that the stadium being built for the Raiders is not yet ready and won’t be ready until the 2020 season. This leads to a major issue for the Raiders as their lease in Oakland is finished as of right now with their final regular season home game being played in Week 16. They don’t have a home and their relationship with Oakland leaves it very unlikely that they will get one more year in the Coliseum. Instead, they now look for a new place to play for a season with a lot of places being thrown around from Reno to San Diego. It will be an important decision this offseason as the Raiders are a team without a home.
No Team for Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh was a whirlwind when he came into the league and joined his brother as an NFL coach. He spent years building the Stanford Cardinal into a legitimate program and joined the San Francisco 49ers after that rise. He was a major reason for the return of the Niners bringing them to a Super Bowl within his first few years coaching in the NFL. He never really got along with ownership though and just as quickly as he took over he was out of the league and running his alma mater in Michigan. There is little doubt that he is an NFL-calibre coach and so his name consistently rises when there are openings. The New York Jets were the latest team reportedly poking around but they denied rumours, likely because he won’t want to leave his alma mater for less control over an NFL team.
Next In Line
Roger Goodell has long been a controversial figure in the NFL as the commissioner has led to massive growth but bigger problems. The league has never been more profitable with big TV deals getting more money in the pockets of the owners. Yet the strain on the relationship between owners and players has only grown since Goodell has been at the head of the table. Lately, his relationship with owners is beginning to falter as well with suspensions getting between him and certain, very vocal owners. It seems as though the contract he received this off-season is likely his last and a successor seems to have already been discovered. That successor seems to be Christopher Halpin who just took a new role as VP and Chief Strategy Officer seems an indication of him being next in line.
The Sport Addiction 