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Belichick Monitoring Gordon

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FOXBORO – New England coach Bill Belichick made no commitment on Saturday as to the role wide receiver Josh Gordon will have when he returns to the team.

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Gordon, the talented but troubled receiver whose career has been thrown off course by substance abuse issues, was reinstated from suspension on a conditional basis by the NFL on Friday.

“For the past eight months, Josh’s situation has been entirely a league matter. When Josh returns to our program, we will evaluate the entire situation and do what we feel is best for Josh and the team,” Belichick said in a statement released by the team on Saturday. 

Gordon was suspended on Dec. 20 for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement under the NFL substance abuse policy. He will be able to rejoin the Patriots on Sunday and is eligible to play in the regular season.

After breaking into the NFL with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and making the Pro Bowl after the 2013 season, Gordon missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspensions related to substance abuse.

Gordon played in five games in 2017 after being reinstated. He played one game for Cleveland last year before being traded to the Patriots in September.

In 12 games last season, Gordon caught 41 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Gordon Back in Action for Pats

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NEW YORK – Troubled New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated on a conditional basis by the NFL, the league announced on Friday. Gordon will be able to rejoin the New EngPatriots on Sunday and is eligible to play in the regular season.

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Gordon was suspended on Dec. 20 for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement under the NFL substance abuse policy.

“We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Everyone shares in that hope and will continue to support him to every extent possible. But as Josh acknowledged, ultimately his success is up to him.” 

The NFL said that Gordon won’t play in New England’s Aug. 22 preseason game against the Carolina Panthers because he hasn’t had “sufficient conditioning and practice.”

After breaking into the NFL with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and making the Pro Bowl after the 2013 season, Gordon missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspensions related to substance abuse.

Gordon played in five games in 2017 after being reinstated. He played one game for Cleveland last year before being traded to the Patriots in September.

In 12 games last season, Gordon caught 41 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns.

Gordon has played in just 52 NFL games while battling substance-abuse issues. He has 220 receptions for 3,826 yards and 19 touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Etling Released by Patriots

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FOXBORO – The New England Patriots released Danny Etling on Tuesday, ending the Patriots’ attempt to convert the second-year quarterback into a wide receiver.

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The Patriots selected Etling in the seventh round of the 2018 draft and he spent last season on the practice squad for the Super Bowl LIII champions. The 25-year-old was waived to clear space for tight end Eric Saubert, acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

Etling’s experimental shift to wide receiver and special-teams duties had been one of the most closely watched storylines for the team in training camp.

The notable comparisons were to New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill and to the Patriots’ own Julian Edelman, the Super Bowl MVP receiver who played quarterback in college for Kent State.

Hill rushed 37 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns, caught three passes and returned 14 kicks for 348 yards with the Saints last season.

Etling had been bumped from New England’s QB depth chart following the selection of Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Stidham is listed third behind superstar Tom Brady and veteran backup Brian Hoyer.

Saubert, who was a fifth-round choice in the 2017 NFL Draft, caught five passes for 48 yards last season. The Patriots sent a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick to the Falcons in the trade, according to NFL Network.

–Field Level Media

NFL Preseason Round Up

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PITTSBURGH – With Ben Roethlisberger sitting out the Steelers’ preseason opener, Mason Rudolph threw two touchdown passes and rookie Devlin Hodges added a scoring strike as host Pittsburgh beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-28 on Friday.

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Josh Dobbs started at quarterback for Pittsburgh and completed 5 of 8 passes for 85 yards. Rudolph followed, going 5 of 8 for 91 yards. Hodges then hit on 8 of 14 passes for 79 yards.

For the Buccaneers, Jameis Winston played one series and led an 81-yard touchdown drive. He finished 5 of 6 for 40 yards, including a 9-yard TD pass to Chris Godwin.

After Blaine Gabbert entered and went 6 of 8 for 50 yards, Robert Griffin III piled up big passing numbers: 26 of 43 for 330 yards and a touchdown.

Tampa Bay running back Dare Ogunbowale’s second touchdown run of the game, a 1-yarder with 10 seconds left, gave the Buccaneers a chance to tie with a two-point conversion. However, Griffin’s pass for Ogunbowale was incomplete.

Vikings 34, Saints 25

Kirk Cousins capped his lone drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Alexander Mattison, leading Minnesota to a victory at New Orleans.

Cousins completed all four of his passes for a total of 65 yards. Sean Mannion came on and went 7 of 13 for 102 yards and a score. Minnesota’s Mike Boone ran for a 64-yard touchdown, putting the game away in the fourth quarter.

With Saints quarterback Drew Brees taking the night off, Teddy Bridgewater hit on 14 of 19 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Taysom Hill threw for a score and a had a pass intercepted while going 8 of 14 for 80 yards.

New Orleans kicker Wil Lutz was 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts, including a 52-yarder.

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NFL Preseason Round-Up

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Giants Defeat Jets 31-22 in NJ 

EAST RUTHERFORD – First-round rookie quarterback Daniel Jones was perfect on his lone drive in his preseason debut on Thursday night, as the New York Giants beat the New York Jets 31-22 in New Jersey.

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Jones, the sixth overall pick, went 5 of 5 for 67 yards, with his final throw a 12-yard touchdown to Bennie Fowler in the back right corner of the end zone. Shortly afterward, the game was delayed by lightning in the area. When the teams returned to the field about 40 minutes later, third-stringer Alex Tanney entered.

Eli Manning started and completed his only pass for 3 yards in one series for the Giants, who were technically the home team at the shared MetLife Stadium. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold went 4 for 5 for 68 yards and a score on his lone series, hitting free agent signee Jamison Crowder for a 3-yard touchdown.

Cardinals 17, Chargers 13

No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray started and impressed in one series of Arizona’s victory over visiting Los Angeles, going 6 of 7 for 44 yards before taking a sack to end the drive.

Brett Hundley followed and threw for 104 yards and a touchdown. With Philip Rivers sitting out for the Chargers, Tyrod Taylor started and went 6 of 6 for 72 yards, along with 34 rushing yards on two carries.

Browns 30, Redskins 10

Baker Mayfield led an 89-yard touchdown drive on his only possession, going 5 of 6 for 77 yards with a 24-yard score to Rashard Higgins, as Cleveland handled visiting Washington.

Odell Beckham Jr. did not play for the Browns, who intercepted Redskins first-round rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins twice. Haskins finished 8 of 14 for 117 yards. He entered after Case Keenum opened the game by going 4 of 9 for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Ravens 29, Jaguars 0

Lamar Jackson threw for 59 yards and a touchdown on 4-of-6 passing in three drives as Baltimore dominated visiting Jacksonville.

Jackson, who did not have a rushing attempt, hit Willie Snead for a 10-yard touchdown late in the first quarter after the Ravens got a field goal and punted on their first two possessions. New Jaguars starting quarterback Nick Foles did not play, with sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew making the start. He finished 7 of 14 for 46 yards.

Dolphins 34, Falcons 27

Josh Rosen threw for 191 yards and an interception in his Miami debut, helping the Dolphins beat visiting Atlanta.

Rosen finished 13 of 20, while rookie wideout Preston Williams caught four passes for 97 yards and rookie seventh-round running back Myles Gaskin scored rushing and receiving touchdowns. Falcons starting quarterback Matt Ryan did not play, with backup Matt Schaub going 12 of 19 for 172 yards.

Patriots 31, Lions 3

Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham combined for 326 passing yards and three touchdowns as visiting New England routed Detroit.

Hoyer was 12 of 14 for 147 yards and two scores, with Stidham going 14 of 24. Undrafted rookie wideout Jakobi Meyers collected six catches for 69 yards and two TDs. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford did not play. Tom Savage started, going 2 of 3 for 40 yards before exiting due to an apparent concussion.

Titans 27, Eagles 10

Ryan Tannehill shined as a backup to Marcus Mariota, throwing for 130 yards and two touchdowns in his Tennessee debut, a victory at Philadelphia.

Mariota was 4 of 8 for 24 yards in one series, which ended in a punt. Tannehill played four drives, with two ending in punts. Eagles starter Carson Wentz did not play, and backup Nate Sudfeld departed the game with his left arm in an air cast. Sudfeld went 10 of 18 for 177 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.

Panthers 23, Bears 13

With starter Cam Newton sitting out while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, third-round rookie Will Grier went 9 of 16 for 77 yards, a touchdown and an interception to help Carolina win at Chicago.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t throw a pass in his lone series. Chase Daniel then entered and went 11 of 13 for 120 yards. Kicker Elliott Fry hit his only field-goal attempt — from 43 yards — for Chicago, while Eddy Pineiro missed a 48-yarder and made a 23-yarder.

Bills 24, Colts 16

Josh Allen went 6 of 11 for 66 yards in two drives, and Christian Wade — a former rugby player from England — ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run as Buffalo downed Indianapolis in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Chad Kelly, the last quarterback in for the Colts, finished 13 of 19 for 121 yards through the air and rushed for 53 yards on four carries, including a 33-yard touchdown. Starter Jacoby Brissett finished 2 of 5 for 21 yards in three possessions.

Packers 28, Texans 26

With Aaron Rodgers not playing, DeShone Kizer started and threw for 102 yards and a touchdown as Green Bay hung on against visiting Houston.

Texans starter Deshaun Watson also sat out, and with AJ McCarron hurt earlier this week, Joe Webb played the whole game at quarterback. Webb went 25 of 40 for 286 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, leading the Texans to 16 fourth-quarter points.

Seahawks 22, Broncos 14

Paxton Lynch starred against his former team, throwing for 109 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 38 yards and another score, as Seattle scored 22 consecutive points to beat visiting Denver.

Broncos starter Joe Flacco went 3 of 4 for 19 yards, leading a field-goal drive on his only series. Drew Lock, the Broncos’ second-round rookie, entered after backup Kevin Hogan and played two and a half quarters. He finished 17 of 28 for 180 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

–Field Level Media

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