Tom Brady talks Josh Gordon joining Patriots: Hopefully he can 'put the team first'

After struggling to move the ball in a Sunday loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New England Patriots have rolled the dice and traded for troubled, gifted wide receiver Josh Gordon.

Gordon exploded in 2013 for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns on 87 catches for the Cleveland Browns, but has only played 11 games since while serving multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He did not play for the Browns on Sunday.

Patriots offense struggling without downfield threat

The Patriots are in dire need of a playmaker with Julian Edelman suspended and having parted ways with Brandin Cooks and Dion Lewis in the offseason. They’re taking a chance that Gordon can be that guy.

So far, Jordan Matthews, Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell have failed to fill the void of an explosive downfield threat.

Tom Brady delivers message for Josh Gordon

Quarterback Tom Brady talked about Gordon and what he expects from the 27-year-old wide receiver with WEEI on Monday.

“I am not making — I hate to make projections and expectations, ” Brady said of Gordon. “That’s not fair, and I have never met Josh personally, just like I hadn’t met some of the guys who have come in the last couple of weeks. We’ll see how it goes this week. Hopefully he can work hard, put the team first and end up helping us in any role he can find for himself on the team.”

With the offense failing to find the end zone early against Jacksonville on Sunday, Tom Brady was seen on the sidelines yelling at this teammates to “do your job.”

Brady wants Gordon to do his job

He had a similar, albeit calmer message for Gordon in his Monday comments.

“You want to know that the guys you are lining up next to that they’ve got it — they’ve got their assignment, they’ve got their responsibility taken care of,” Brady said. “That frees you up to think about what your responsibilities are. If you are worried about this guy, that guy, this or that, it just takes away from what your focus needs to be as an individual.”

Gordon is a gamble. The risk the Patriots took was minimal in sacrificing a fifth-round draft pick. Gordon could be a complete bust, but his upside is providing one of the game’s great quarterbacks a dynamic downfield threat that could take the top off of opposing defenses.

It’s a smart gamble, and one that could be significant dividends for a Super Bowl contender. Gordon, of course, just has to do his job.

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