Everything Bill Belichick Said About Josh Gordon On Friday
Belichick called Gordon a “smart kid” who’s “picked up a lot.”
Aug 24, 2018; Charlotte, NC: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches his offense during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAYJosh Gordon is officially a member of the New England Patriots, having practiced all week. So head coach Bill Belichick could finally comment on the trade and Gordon's polarizing addition to the Patriots roster.
While Belichick remained mostly mum on everything surrounding Gordon, he at least acknowledged that the trade happened and that Gordon is officially with the team. Here's everything he said during his Friday presser at Gillette Stadium:
From his opening statement: "Since the last time we met we've officially added Josh [Gordon] and Cyrus [Jones] to the roster. It’s good to get them here. Really in both cases, those two guys have done about as much as they can do in the few days they’ve been here, or been back in Cyrus’ case. We’ll see how it goes. Josh is a smart kid, he’s worked hard, he’s picked up a lot ... we’ll see how it goes."
On whether the Patriots had been looking into Gordon for a long time or the trade came together quickly: “I mean we’re focused on the players that are on our team and getting ready for the games that we play. That’s where our focus is. From time to time other things resurface and we look at those in a timely fashion.”
On whether Gordon’s exceptional talent made him hard to pass up on in a trade: “I mean look, all players in this league are talented players, or they wouldn’t be in this league.”
On Gordon’s history of substance abuse and how he plans to keep him healthy and focused: “I wouldn’t talk about another player’s personal or injury situations, so I’m not going to do that.”
On whether he feels Gordon can be the same “monster” player he was when he faced the Patriots in 2013: “We’ll see.”
On how he plans to get Gordon up to speed after arriving after the start of the season: “It would be impossible to teach somebody everything in a couple of days, when other players have had months to learn it. That would be impossible. … It’s taking a segment of whatever the total is and taking the things that are the most important and building on that, day by day, as time goes on.”
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