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Of all the obstacles that Josh Gordon faces immediately with the Patriots, one of the most formidable (at least in terms of football) is simply learning the offensive.
What seems to be such an obvious box and so simple to watch as a football player is anything but New England. And the 27-year-old receiver – acquired in an exchange with the Browns earlier this week – is facing a steep learning curve to master the offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system.
"It's very hard, man. That takes time " says the former receiver of the Patriots Randy Moss on ESPN before Monday Night Football. "You see what Chad Ochocinco was not able to do, and now you're bringing in another receiver – and I'm not saying they're similar, but Josh McDaniels is committing a very sophisticated mistake."
That said, Moss – who set the season's record for the touchdown during the McDaniels attack in 2007 – understands what Gordon could do if he actually learned the book.
"If he picks it up, man, you better look in New England."
Skepticism about Gordon's ability to learn the offensive has less to do with him than New England and its history. There is a long list of very competent players who, for whatever reason, just could not do it.
As mentioned by Moss, one of the most important examples is that of Chad Johnson (formerly Chad Ochocinco). The veteran arrived with high expectations in 2011, but failed to make an impact and was released after the season. The problem reported is that he never understood the game book.
It's more than learning games, as explained by Brandon LaFell, the Patriots receiver at the time, in 2014. It's about being consistently on par with the perfectionist quarterback Tom Brady.
"He expects you to be exactly where he wants you to be on all roads," LaFell said. "Not a meter away, not a meter deep, not a yard too short. He expects you to be exactly where he wants you to be because he will place the exact placement of the ball. "
LaFell also listed the other schematic components that each receiver needs to know, including trainings ("We have a million trainings"), learning call terminology, and code words that may have meanings. extremely different.
With the terminology, Gordon might actually have a better understanding of part of the process. As Scott Zolak pointed out, the presenter of the Patriotes radio (and former quarterback), Gordon comes from a Browns attack that comes from the same system as McDaniels.
Btw. Todd Haley was raised in Weis / Henning / Erhardt's offensive. The terminology base should be the same.
– Scott Zolak (@scottzolak) September 17, 2018
The Erhardt-Perkins Offensive School, which Belichick (and former Patriots coordinator Charlie Weis) has been working on with Bill Parcells, is based on "concepts" on either side of the field. It was a system designed to streamline terminology (using only a few words to convey games and routes to an entire offense).
Of course, Gordon will still have a lot to learn, but any familiarity should help his acclimatization, especially in the short term.
The Patriots attack focuses on – and actively works to create – mismatches with the opposing defense. Gordon, one of the best league athletes in his position, is likely to be at Brady's mercy.
If he can become familiar with the offensive – a scheme he may already have some basic knowledge about – New England fans might see some of his vast potential translate into great games.
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