Josh Gordon Browns excluded from Saints game with hamstrings and kept at home

NEW ORLEANS, La. – In a surprise move, Browns star receiver Josh Gordon was ruled out of the Saints game with a hamstring injury Saturday afternoon just before the Browns left Cleveland.

Gordon, who was not on the injury report of the week, including Friday, arrived at the Browns Hotel on Saturday morning to travel to New Orleans to complain about his hamstrings. He was determined that he could not play and he was kept at home.

At the start of Friday's media training session, Gordon had his hamstrings stretched for a long time by the coaches as the other players warmed up.

He then joined his teammates and caught quarterback passes, including a number in which he fell to the ground after making the seizure just inches from the end zone.

Gordon, who was on the deep list this week, is as big a loss for the Browns as the Pro Bowler Michael Thomas would be for the Saints.

In addition, linebacker Christian Kirksey, who was considered dubious, was also ruled out with his injuries to the shoulder and ankle, and the tight end Seth DeValve was sidelined with a thigh. DeValve, who had just come back from an injury to a quad to play the 21-21 opening game against the Steelers, also did not feature on the injury report this week.

This is the first match Kirksey has missed since being elected in the third round of the 2014 draft, 65 games in a row.

Gordon returned to the Browns on August 18 after spending a long time at the University of Florida. He missed a few days of training with a hamstring injury after he was cleared for any football activity on August 25, but it was complete in the days leading up to the Saints game.

Gordon became a big story in the first game as he was on the field for the first game of the match after coach Hue Jackson categorically stated that he would not start. The thought behind this was that the other receivers had always been there and deserved the opportunity to start the game.

Jackson says Gordon started with "a mistake" and "miscommunication"

But the offensive Todd Haley chose to open with only one receiver, three tight packs, and trotted Gordon there alone.

It was an emotion that surprised even Gordon, and left Jackson miffed. Gordon was released for the rest of the series and the next, before Jackson gave him the green light to return to the third.

After the match, Jackson admitted that he did not know it was happening until he saw it, and the next day he attributed it to "a mistake" and a "lack of communication." between him and Haley. through it and continued.

Gordon ended up playing 69 shots, or 78% of the game. He was only targeted three times and caught a pass – the 17-yard TD from Tyrod Taylor who tied the game at 21 with 1:58 to play in the settlement.

Haley said Thursday that Gordon had missed all of the training camp and the four pre-season games, and that it was not as easy as bringing him back to the Pro Bowl form.

"We have a guy who missed a long period of time who was not there at the training," Haley said. "This slows down not only his process, but the whole process of our offense.We know that he has a chance to play a big part in what we do.You can not just snap your fingers and say, "Put it here, put it there, put it there.

"Obviously, the defense will dictate a lot of times where the ball goes."

In one of the most bizarre aspects of his interview this week, Gordon said that he was no longer a lure in the game.

"I think I went there and I had to do what I had to do, that it would disturb security to open someone else," Gordon said. "I do not even think about targets before someone mentions it." the end of the game, but I was just going to keep running until I had the opportunity. "

So he was really a lure? The X receiver of departure?

"I would not say that," he said, "I think it depends on who we play and the uncontrolled variables I mentioned earlier, you have to adapt to it. to be gone, and later you could play a less important role. "

He added, "The focus may be exactly that – distract a defender if they stay focused on me, allowing Jarvis (Landry) to open, allowing Rashard (Higgins) to open, allowing the game to the race to develop.If was so, then I have no problem with it. "

Taylor has vowed to try to get Gordon involved more this week.

"We can do a better job by giving him the ball and giving him opportunities to play," he said. "It starts with myself."

With Gordon, Antonio Callaway or Higgins will probably start in his place.