When the Cleveland Browns selected Baylor wide receiver Josh Gordon in this year's supplemental draft, Browns offensive coordinator Brad Childress had no idea who the guy was. Everybody else who was asking that same question is likely singing a different tune now, as Gordon has emerged as a big-play guy in the Browns' offense.
The past two weeks, Gordon has caught only five passes, but those catches have gone for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns have been of the huge play variety. Last weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals Gordon hauled in a 71-yard score, and the week before against the New York Giants he snagged a 62-yarder.
Thanks to Gordon's breakout games, he will likely be seeing plenty of attention from the Indianapolis Colts this weekend, especially because fellow wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin are hurting (via The News-Herald):
"I think they'll be mindful of where he's at, whether he's in the slot, or whether he's outside," Childress said. "Those guys kind of check and see who's taking the top off, and who can run. They can see somebody can run now. That's a good thing. They'll honor him, and maybe play a little bit looser, although people have a tendency to play a good bit of man-to-man versus us."
How Gordon responds to more defensive attention could go a long way in determining how successful his career will be. Many players have a few breakout games, only to fade away once adjustments are made. Gordon's strong drive can only help in that regard.