Tom Brady has hammered it home: He trusts Josh Gordon.
That’s not usually something Brady does with new receivers. He doesn’t trust easily, and he doesn’t often go out of his way to say that he trusts that receiver. But Brady and Gordon are clicking. They connected for a 34-yard touchdown last Thursday night in the New England Patriots’ win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“When I threw it, I thought he could get his eyes on the ball before the defender could, just based on the position,” Brady told WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan on Monday. “That’s what ended up happening. Josh went up and went through those guys to make the play.
“… It just speaks to the trust I have in him — in a very short period of time — to make those plays. I watched him for a long time. We’ve played against him. Just seeing him on the practice field. You make those types of throws when you believe that you’re guy can come down with it. It was a huge play in the game. … We needed a big play. It was great to see Josh come up with that.”
The New England Patriots offense is complicated for newcomers to learn. Brady is a tough man to please. (Cordarrelle Pattersons said it best when it comes to running routes for Brady: “You better get where the hell you need to be at the right time or you ain’t going to get the ball.”)
It’s a good sign for Gordon that Brady is not just talking about that trust but also taking action upon that trust (with 34-yard touchdown heaves). Bill Belichick seemed to show tempered optimism about the connection.
“Josh has worked hard,” Belichick told reporters on a conference call on Friday. “Tom has spent extra time working with him and really all of the receivers, backs and tight ends, as well. It’s good to see that hard work pay off.”
The Patriots will need that connection to continue to improve, with Gordon just logging four catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in his first two games with the Patriots. Their passing offense is still in the bottom half of the NFL after five weeks, but with the arrival of Gordon and the return of Julian Edelman, they may no stay in the bottom of the league for long.
