Josh Gordon talks about his progress with KC Chiefs
By Matt Conner
Josh Gordon only caught two passes for the Kansas City Chiefs but somehow it felt like ten.
To those of us outside of Arrowhead, the progress of Gordon this season has felt like anything but, given the expectations around Gordon at the time of his signing with the Chiefs back in late September. On Sunday, however, in the team’s big win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, Gordon brought in his first touchdown since signing in K.C. as one of his two catches and it felt like a real breakthrough for Gordon.
After the game, Gordon admitted that the catch felt like “a dream come true. When speaking with reporters after the game, Gordon said, “t’s exciting. It’s rewarding. It’s a blessing, for sure.”
The Chiefs first signed Gordon shortly after the team fell to the L.A. Chargers in Week 3, when they were 1-2 and searching for quick answers after falling behind some of their fellow contenders in the AFC. From late September through early December, Gordon had a total of two catches in 8 games for the Chiefs. Yes, that’s only two catches on six targets—minimal production from a player who brought up a lot of hype.
Josh Gordon spoke with Chiefs reporters about his progress.
“Sometimes it just feels like a whirlwind, but it’s just extra time with coaches watching film or at home,” said Gordon. “Any free time I get, I’m trying to do a little extra because I have to. Just putting the time in to study the plays, study the film, the nuance and get better at knowing exactly what Pat wants to do, how he wants to do things. That comes in at practice. Obviously, practice is a bunch of mistakes for me, but repetition has been the key and he’s been patient with me, which I appreciate that.”
There were hints that Gordon would need time at first, most notably the fact that Gordon had sat out of the 2020 season entirely. However, no one could have predicted the complete lack of offensive impact from Gordon to this point. Yet the team’s leaders continued to say the right things about the acquisition of Gordon, and it was also clear the coaches trusted him since he was earning a decent amount of snaps played per game.
Team leaders continued to reinforce the idea that it was only a matter of time until Gordon would see his production start to go up. Perhaps this is where it begins with a single touchdown at Arrowhead. Even Gordon admits he still has work to do to get to where he wants but Sunday’s attention in the red zone is a good sign of things to come.
“I’m not happy with where I’m at. I think currently that’s just me being a hard critic of myself, but I’m also aware of where I’,m at and how blessed I am to be in this position. I take every day with pride and joy. NO matter what happens and what I’m able to do, it’s a win for me personally. The rest of that is just me trying to be a competitor.”