Browns WR Josh Gordon Suspension Upheld

The decision from the NFL has finally come; Josh Gordon will be suspended for the entirety of the 2014-15 NFL season for his third recorded failure under the NFL’s substance abuse program. The sentence was handed down yesterday, on the eve of Cleveland’s final preseason game before the first week of the NFL season.

The Pro Bowl wide-receiver is technically suspended indefinitely, which puts the Browns in a somewhat precarious position going into the regular season without their best playmaker. It would actually be more apt to say that the development is devastating to Cleveland’s offense going into the season. They’re 0-3 in the preseason, and go into Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears needing some confidence before the start of the regular season.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer has been declared this year’s starter, and is expected to play most of the first quarter before handing the reins on over to rookie backup Johnny Manziel as Cleveland’s first team offense tries to get it’s act together before it’s September 7th season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hoyer has expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming season, despite his team’s slow start in the preseason. He’s convinced that things will get better, and that many of Cleveland’s issues are self-inflicted, as opposed to stemming from being outplayed in their last three match ups.

“I don’t feel we’re down on ourselves,” he said. “The most frustrating part to us is that we do some things really well and then we shoot ourselves in the foot.

“It’s not like we’re going out there and just going three and out, three and out, three and out. That’s the frustrating part. If we just (stunk) then I think we would kind of just be down on ourselves, but we realize what we can be.

“That’s the most frustrating part and that’s why we’ve been coming out of these games feeling mad at ourselves. Obviously we want to go out and play and execute Thursday night really well, but I don’t think there’s going to be any type of hangover whether it’s positive or negative going into regular season. I think it’s a whole new ball game when that comes around.”

Hoyer, as long as he hangs on to the starting job, won’t have Gordon as a target for the entire season. Nate Burleson could be of some help going forward, however he has yet to prove that he can remain healthy to be productive to the entire season. He’s been sidelined with a hamstring issue, and will be making his preseason debut this evening. Because of his injury, Burleson isn’t a lock to make the final roster – however, Hoyer has stated that Burleson’s veteran knowledge can help Cleveland’s rookie quarterbacks and young receivers acclimate more quickly.

“It’s great to have Nate back out here,” Hoyer said. “Obviously, we got to see him out here earlier in the spring and to have him back out here another veteran guy who knows what he’s supposed to do. Nate has had a great career, to have a guy like that around us is only going to benefit us.”

from Lee Krahenbuhl’s History and Sports Page http://ift.tt/1zKZGnW

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How Long Will Andrew Luck’s Luck Last?

Andrew Luck is one of football’s most compelling players. Not only is he a great quarterback, but he is much more than just that. He is the most pro-ready quarterback to come out of college in years, but he also knows how to make the most out of every possession and scramble and run for first downs. Despite those instincts and qualities, he has been the most inconsistent quarterback in his two-year career.

What makes his play even more interesting is that he knows how to win. Surrounded by one of the worst rosters in the NFL and a coaching staff and front office who do nothing but put obstacles in his way, Luck has compiled back-to-back 11-5 seasons at the helm of a team that was 2-14 the year before he arrived. Many of those wins have been by one touchdown or less.

Luck and the Colts were 9-1 in one- touchdown games during his rookie season and followed up his next year with 5-1. But does Luck deserve credit for these close wins? The running game is not what is fueling these wins and although the defense is impressive, Luck has contributed to the offense producing at least 17 points. On five different occasions, Indy’s defense has allowed 27 points or more in one-touchdown games. They’re 5-0 in those games. And of course, all close games have a story of their own. Some are close contests that are decided during the final snap, while others amp up the volume only late in the fourth quarter, after a mostly meaningless game. Out of these 16 close colt games, how much credit can be given to Luck?

He actually deserves a lot of credit. The Colts seemed to be dependent on Luck to get them through most of the fourth quarter, make a big stop on defense and finish up the game with a first down shortly after. Of Luck’s 16 close contests as a pro, only five are packed in, like the Broncos game in which Matt Prater kicked a field goal with 17 seconds left to turn a 39-30 scoreline into a 39-33 contest.

If the Colts continue to be dependent on close games for half of their wins this season, they will be in trouble. Although Luck proved the numbers wrong in 2013, they won’t be on his side for the rest of his career. Whether his initial run was random or a stroke of luck, he can not expect wo win over 85 percent of his close games as his career continues.

from Lee Krahenbuhl’s History and Sports Page http://ift.tt/1sZxMDs

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