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Josh Gordon speculation to dominate headlines through Monday The Cleveland Browns announced they were parting ways with receiver Josh Gordon on Saturday David Moore Jersey Green , and his name has dominated NFL Twitter and Reddit in the hours since. That should continue into Monday, when we are likely to find out Gordon’s next destination, if not sooner should a trade announcement break in the next few hours. This is an article including one of those headlines.Gordon, 27, has played in 11 of a possible 65 games since the start of 2014. In those 11 games, Gordon has caught 43 passes for 655 yards and two touchdowns, with a catch rate of 46.7% and 15.2 yards per reception. His next slip-up with the NFL could result in a lifetime ban for all we know. He chose to stay away from the Browns for almost all of training camp and preseason because he needed to make sure he was ready both mentally and physically and that he needed to focus on his sobriety. He returned on August 18, but only on a limited basis and mostly just to be able to go to team meetings. Reports of his release by the Browns were surrounded by him both being late to practice and injuring his hamstring in a photoshoot. After sticking alongside Gordon through the 2014 season, through the 2015 season, through the 2016 season, and through the 2017 season, Cleveland chose to release him one week into what is expected to be their best year in over a decade. They’ve got Myles Garrett. They’ve got Jarvis Landry. They’ve got Baker Mayfield. They’ve got Denzel Ward. They’ve got Jabrill Peppers. And they could use a player like Josh Gordon, who caught a touchdown in Week 1. And yet, they are now choosing to finally move on from Gordon.Let that be a sign that this is not about a photoshoot, a hamstring, or being late one time. This is about the entire presence and being and background of Josh Gordon. I don’t even know if this could be about “the last straw” because John Dorsey has only been the GM in Cleveland since last December; as far as Dorsey’s seen, Gordon’s only ever been an active member of the team save his “personal rehab” in August.This is how I think every “Josh Gordon is an asset that’s available” article should start, well ahead of the “Well, we oughta go get that guy!” comments and any mention of the phenomenal season he had five years ago. The last time Gordon was an effective and reliable week-to-week receiver was the same season that the Seahawks won the Super Bowl — and doesn’t that seem like forever ago?!And don’t paint me as some narc; on Friday night I went to a weed-based comedy show at the UCB theater in LA called “I’m Too Effin’ High” and I was. This goes beyond marijuana consumption. If you think that Gordon’s problems started in 2014, you’re either foolish or too focused on the fact that you won your fantasy championship a year before his suspensions started. Gordon admitted to using drugs, including Xanax, as early as seventh grade. And he’s self-aware enough to know there are causes that go beyond getting high for fun:He was talented enough as an athlete to get an offer from Baylor, but was suspended in 2010 for getting caught being high in a Taco Bell drive-thru. He was suspended again in 2011. He transferred to Utah. He never played there. He was an elite college athlete who potentially could have been the rare receiver to challenge for a Heisman had he ever given himself the chance, but Gordon only played one season at the college level before entering into the NFL’s supplemental draft. A situation in which players are rarely ever chosen at all, let alone above a day three pick, Gordon was chosen by the Browns with a relatively high second round supplemental choice. That’s how good he can be, but how good he actually is must also factor in the little amount he has actually played. An NFL player is not his 40-yard dash time.An NFL player is not his best game or best season.An NFL player is not his worst game or worst season.An NFL player is not how high you can jump.An NFL player is not how good of a person you are.An NFL player is not a knee that is constantly landing him on the injury report.An NFL player is not a single arrest.An NFL player is not the hardest worker in the room.An NFL player is all of these things and more. You are the sum of your parts. You are every little wrinkle to your personality, and then you are your talent, and then you are your work ethic. And then you are your moral code. And so on and so on until we come to the end: the end is the results.Josh Gordon’s results have been horrible. To say anything else is totally near-sighted in my opinion, unless the word I’m looking for is far-sighted.If Gordon is his 1,646 yards in 2013 http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-12th-fan-jersey , then he is absolutely also his 655 yards in the four-plus years since. That’s what he has been able to produce because that’s how often he’s allowed himself to be on the field through his own actions. At no point has Gordon had a solid reason to appeal any of his suspensions because at all times he has apparently been guilty. And I don’t think that Gordon shouldn’t be given another chance or that he is necessarily a bad acquisition, but look at the entire picture when evaluating the fact that to acquire one player you must fire another player.A player who has maybe never been in trouble. Who has worked his ass off. Who is not nearly as talented as Gordon but who also seems a sure bet to be active for the next 15 games. Who has never been late to a meeting. Who doesn’t do photoshoots midseason (I’m not sure if the photoshoot part is a big deal to Cleveland or not, but it does seem like a pointless activity for a guy who needed a lot of time to get “mentally and physically healthy” to focus on the season and then above all that, injures himself while doing so). You’re not just acquiring a player, you’re firing a player. All the while still asking yourself, “Why did the Browns give up on him now? What do they know that I don’t know yet?”I support Gordon as a player you just want to see play football, because he’s fucking great at it. I support Gordon as an NFL employee like any other who deserves a shot at a roster spot if he has earned it, and maybe he’s finally clean and ready for that. I support Gordon as a marijuana-smoker if he chooses to be that, knowing that it is a violation of NFL rules. I support weed use in general. And I’m not against the Seahawks being the team that perhaps involves themselves in such trade talks; smoking weed is not as bad as insider trading, right?I just think it’s important to note the entire picture. Josh Gordon is not just a human highlight reel, he is also human. Flawed and currently still fighting his way out of the NFL’s spotlight of negativity. I hope his next chapter is better than most of the last eight.Onto said rumors.Twitter detectives pointed out that Gordon is currently following the Seattle Seahawks on Twitter, and the only other teams he follows are the Browns and Houston Texans, his hometown team. He also follows Russell Wilson. Also Jeremy Piven.Early speculation immediately went to the Dallas Cowboys, of course, a team that would never shy away from a player like Gordon and who has perhaps the worst WR unit in the league. Ian Rapoport mentioned the Cowboys, as well as the San Francisco 49ers, as potential suitors.The 49ers are looking to compete right now, it seems, and Kyle Shanahan is surely looking for the “Julio Jones” to his offense because Pierre Garcon, Dante Pettis, and Marquis Goodwin certainly don’t appear to be at that level. It’s also said that Cleveland would like to keep him out of the AFC:Which would be bad news for the Jacksonville Jaguars should he be traded, because Mike Freeman claims that Gordon said he’s interested in playing for Doug Marrone down there.After many conflicting reports on what would happen to Gordon should no trade go down, it is settled that he will not be subject to waivers and will become an unrestricted free agent. That means Gordon could land anywhere. Will it be the 49ers, Cowboys, or Jaguars? The Seahawks? In my experience, it’s almost always a team that was never linked to said player at all.We likely won’t have to wait long for the answer. Then Gordon’s new journey begins, hoping it’s not at all like the previous ones. Except for the part where he’s a great football player. Tre Flowers is a fifth round rookie safety conversion project. That now seems wildly preposterous, given he’s already mastering Carroll’s defensive back technique. Like the 5th round success of Richard Sherman, the cornerback’s length is a massive help. With jamming and ball-playing aided, the scary aspect for offenses is that Flowers is faster than Sherman ever was, running a 4.45 forty-yard dash at the NFL combine. Way back in August Jason Myers Jersey , I highlighted the various Seahawk-y traits Flowers showed in college which would transition nicely to the pros. Yet I doubted his ability to start in his first year at the position: This was a time when Byron Maxwell was cornerback #2. Flowers’ improvements have stunned me. He’s grown throughout the season, showing a short-term memory but also never getting totally beat. Ladies and gentlemen, John Schneider has done it again. Flowers’ game against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday was the perfect demonstration of his talents and the remarkable coaching skill of Carroll. The rookie’s ability has seen some teams target Shaquill Griffin more. While the Cardinals lack premier wide receiver talent, they did, at least, attempt to pick on Flowers. Let’s look at his technique within Seattle’s scheme.Staying in phaseYou may remember Arizona’s scored their lone touchdown off play-action after Akeem King bit on Larry Fitzgerald’s fake block.On his first snap of the game, Flowers somewhat bit on a play-fake too. Maybe it was the shifted Fitzgerald, the #1 receiver, running across the formation as though he were blocking split action. Or perhaps the two tight ends successfully sold they were run blocking at the beginning of their routes. Whatever the reason, Flowers took two steps forward—keen to set a strong secondary EDGE facing the run—despite having deep third responsibility.Flowers’ athletic ability meant he could recover though. He turned his hips quickly to run downfield with the deep crossing route of tight end Chris Hubert. Flowers then kept in phase with Hubert well. Knowing he had the help of Bradley McDougald over the top of the route, Flowers stayed in the hip pocket of the receiver. Flowers also took a path that undercut Hubert’s in-break. If Josh Rosen hadn’t led Hubert downfield, almost throwing a pick to McDougald, then Flowers was in position to play the football. As a defense, the Seahawks completely locked the bootleg flood up. Man against crosserSeattle’s confidence in their defensive backs versus the poor offense of the Cardinals saw them play lots of man coverage. Situated in the slot, Flowers aligned over Malachi Dupree with an off alignment and outside shade. The Seahawks’ cover 1 placed Flowers in a one-on-one with Dupree. As Dupree quickly bent his route to the boundary side, Flowers rapidly exited his shuffle and half-turned to open to Dupree’s side.His cushion distance over Dupree was near enough maintained. It would have been tempting for the corner to fully open and run downfield, but he stayed looking downhill and squarer for a few more steps—ready to break underneath.After diagnosing that Dupree was continuing downfield, Flowers turned and exploded. He pretty much ran the route for Dupree, blanketing the second-year wideout. Dupree contacted Flowers first, to which Flowers held his space and Rosen’s overthrow fell harmlessly incomplete. The area for Flowers to take this to the next level is for him to make a play on the ball, but it’s encouraging how much he looks for the pass in coverage. Speed-turn versus slantThe Dallas Cowboys will run double move routes with Amari Cooper. Be them a hitch-and-go or a slant-and-go, they will try to get cornerbacks to bite. While Shaquill Griffin has been fooling for such trickery this season, Flowers’ overall patience has seen him be wiser.He was beat on this third down by Pharoh Cooper though, giving up the first down. In straight man-to-man coverage outside, Cooper re-set the line of scrimmage against the press, inside shade alignment by releasing outside as though running a fade.Flowers’ jam had him with his right leg backwards somewhat, and the corner didn’t stay fully square or move with the jam; he was thinking go route. A degree more patience was needed here. As Cooper got Flowers to somewhat kick back to the fade, the receiver then used his far arm to subtly push Flowers’ in the back and fully turn the corner outside. Breaking inside unopposed, Cooper was open to catch the slant.Flowers’ cautiousness about being beat deep is far more preferable than the opposite. What Flowers showed after being beat was most impressive. Quickly realizing that Cooper had deceived him, Flowers executed a speed turn that saw him take his eyes away from his man. This is a brave move that requires confidence.The manoeuvre saw Flowers recover to play Cooper again. Rather than trying to make a play on the ball and missing, Flowers waited for the catch and brought Cooper down just over the first down line. Off-man missWe did get an uncharacteristic whiff from Flowers on 3rd and 4. He was in off-man coverage with Fitzgerald. Rosen immediately hit the hitch of Fitzgerald for the first down. Flowers had nice patience Womens Germain Ifedi Jersey , stepping to maintain his position. Despite a few unnecessary added steps that will be eliminated with added experience, Flowers still triggered quickly downhill to make the tackle and stop any yards after catch.Except Flowers missed Fitzgerald. He went over the top of his man, as though trying to play the ball, and grasped nothing but air. Fortunately, Wagner’s rat-like zone enabled him to atone for Flowers’ excited mistake.Quarters techniqueThe Seahawks have run more and more two-high safety looks this season after Earl Thomas’ injury. The “red 2” version of “cover 2” has been a large reason for the defense’s effectiveness in the redzone. But in clear open-field passing situations, the coverages help compensate for the lack of range brought by Thomas’ absence. Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. opted for a cover 3 cloud that had strong match rules on this 2nd and 5 with just 15 seconds left in the half. For instance, Bobby Wagner matched the running back in his middle hook. The two-high safeties were free to be aggressive and play more like man on the #2 receivers.The cloud-look still featured three-deep shells, placing Flowers in the field-side quarter of the “quarter, quarter, half”. Flowers disguised his zone technique cunningly pre-snap, aligning in press-alignment as though in press-man. For Rosen, having faced some cover 2 man already, this could have been another version of that pass defense.Instead, Flowers bailed late into his zone, look-in technique. He remained well over the top of Dupree and was able to observe Rosen’s turn. Flowers could see the ball as soon as it left Rosen’s hand all the way through his coverage, whereas Dupree hadn’t even turned to locate the football.With this head-start granted by look-in technique, Flowers attempted to intercept the overthrown Rosen pass while maintaining his over the top leverage. He was heavily contacted for about 5 yards by Dupree, which tangled Flowers in hand-fighting that stopped him from playing the ball. Really, this should have been offensive pass interference—something Flowers appeared to claim at the end.Walling inside manLike his sound outside leverage on Dupree’s crosser from the slot, Flowers also played with excellent inside leverage to wall the middle of the field. Tasked with covering Fitzgerald one-on-one in a cover 2 man, Flowers looked super comfortable on the 3rd and 13 after Seattle switched into the coverage late.Flowers adjusted his positioning to maintain his inside leverage on Fitzgerald. He opened to Fitzgerald to wall the receiver from the middle of the field as the receiver closed the cushion. This was great awareness from Flowers of the strength of this coverage (over the top help to the sideline) plus the weakness of this coverage (the middle of the field is left open).With Flowers in excellent position to run with any deep middle of the field route, he got physical when establishing his space and grabbed Fitzgerald. Some referees may have called a hold on Flowers, but the corner did well to not relinquish separation to Fitzgerald.Rosen wanted to go to Fitzgerald. But, after seeing the tight coverage of Flowers, the quarterback was forced to progress to a desperate back shoulder throw to the sideline. Flowers removed the passer’s primary read, a future hall of famer no less.Elite potentialThe examples covered had Flowers looking accomplished in a plethora of Carroll’s defensive back techniques. His game was virtually shut-down. In bump-and-run, off-man or off-zone the corner is employing various methods to win his individual matchups. His speed and length gifts him recovery ability. Moreover, he is demonstrating a clear understanding of the coverage concept each time and the role his individual assignment plays in each pass defense. Development is not linear. Flowers may have a “sophomore slump”. Yet right now, he appears to be hinting at “best corner in franchise history” potential. He’s got the best coach possible to realize that promise. Not bad for a guy who never played outside corner in college. The offseason focus will be adding interceptions to his game; there’ve been several near misses and Flowers does play with consistent ball-hawking intentions. Then he’ll be a complete master of how to play cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks.For more on Seahawks defensive back technique, check out these editions of Seahawks on tape: https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/8/4/1764...osition-battles https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/8/6/1765...rpe-tre-flowers