Earlier this morning Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon announced via social media that he is taking a leave of absence from the team to address his mental health. Some media outlets have reported that Gordon is facing another suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and facing yet another suspension.
— Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 20, 2018
Regardless of his long term future in the league – and there may not be a future – Colin thinks the loss of Gordon spells the end of any chance the Patriots have to win the Super Bowl, this year.
Despite Gordon’s reputation for not being reliable, Tom Brady relied on him heavily, and his absence strips Tom of his only legitimate deep threat to keep defenses honest. All that remains is an aging core of Gronk, Edelman and Chris Hogan, who has been invisible for about 2 years. That’s not good enough.
If anything, the loss of Gordon exposes how ineffective Belichick has been at drafting anyone for Brady to target, or keeping veterans like Brandin Cooks for more than a short-term rental.
Brady is still great, but at 41 he can’t elevate what’s around him to win multiple road games in the playoffs, which increasingly looks like the path they’ll have to take to get to the Super Bowl. At some point Belichick is going to have to give him some dependable, explosive weapons as Brady continues to age if they want to win more Lombardi’s. This year, it’s not happening.