Editor's note: Sorry, I had this post ready on Friday but the computer I wrote it on was malfunctioning badly, and it took me awhile to fix it.
The Cleveland Browns truly are the worst, most embarrassing franchise in the National Football League. I used to make fun of Browns fans, but honestly, now I just feel bad for them. During the first night of what has proved to be an exhilarating draft, Cleveland traded down from the #4 pick to the #9 pick [which somehow turned into the #8 pick] and nabbed Oklahoma State Cornerback Justin Gilbert. They somehow managed to also grab the Quarterback they wanted by trading up from the #26 pick [which they had via the Indianapolis Colts] to the #22 pick and drafting Texas A&M standout Johnny "Football" Manziel. 2,000 season tickets were sold that night, ESPN called it a new era, and then, it all fell apart.
Actually, Gilbert and Manziel didn't do anything to get themselves in trouble. But remember Josh Gordon? The potential-bearing Wide Receiver for Cleveland last year who led the NFL with 1,646 yards last season after being suspended for the first TWO GAMES. But that's not necessarily as impressive as it sounds. The #2, #5, and #17 players in receiving yards during the 2013 season were in the AFC North. It goes to show that the AFC North pass-defense, and Josh Gordon's winning of the receiving yards title, is overrated.
Still not convinced? Consider this: the previous leader in receiving yards, the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson, was third in 2013 with 1,492 yards. But he missed two games with an injury. In that same season, he averaged 106.6 receiving yards per game in the games that he played, so if you round 106.6 up to 107 and multiply that by 2 you get 214. Add 214 to his total of 1,492 and get 1,760, which means he would have torched Gordon by 114 yards to lead the NFL in receiving yards.
Despite all those numbers, Gordon was still a talented receiver, albeit off-the-field baggage. The Browns seemed to have finally turned the corner. But then the announcement came that Gordon is facing a year-long suspension for failing another drug test. Cleveland isn't going to have the weapons at Wide Receiver after trading down in the draft [as I mentioned earlier] instead of drafting the talented Sammy Watkins, to make a playoff-push without their #1 receiver. Sadly, I think in this one event, the Browns have lost hope for relevancy [at least in 2014,] and Josh Gordon has lost hope for his NFL career. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but things sure don't look good for the 23-year old Gordon.
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