Seattle Seahawks receiver Josh Gordon has excelled as a slant route runner so far this year, but Brian Schottenheimer knows he can do more.
Although the numbers are rather pedestrian, there’s no doubt the Seattle Seahawks have been thrilled with what they have gotten out of free agent pickup Josh Gordon over the past three weeks.
Still battling an injury and with very little time to adjust to a brand-new offense, Gordon has hauled in four receptions (on five targets) for 47 yards.
All four of his receptions have been first downs, as quarterback Russell Wilson has come to trust him run quick slant routes and convert on third down.
However, Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer views Gordon as more than a slant-running first down machine.
“We certainly do a lot of things with him, he just made some good plays on those,” Schottenheimer said on Thursday. “We’ve tried a couple double moves with him, he got the P.I. penalty against Philadelphia that was a big play. But I would say it’s definitely coincidence.”
Schottenheimer went on to praise Gordon’s increased comfort with the system and his relationship with Wilson, while also highlighting that Gordon’s success is simply the fact that he’s, well, good at catching footballs.
“Unbelievable catcher of the football,” Schottenheimer continued. “I think his hands, the ability to catch the football is maybe the best I’ve ever seen. The ball is in his area, he finds a way to catch it but, he’s doing a really good job for us. We’re very pleased with him.”
Wilson has a plethora of options to choose from at this point in the season. Tyler Lockett is healthy after battling a leg injury and the flu, rookie DK Metcalf has emerged as a true star, tight end Jacob Hollister has stepped up in a big way, and now Gordon is getting more comfortable in the offense.
Factor in the two-headed monster of Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny in the running game and you have an offense that is very tough to game plan against, a task the Rams will have to take on this Sunday night in Los Angeles, where Seattle will be playing for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
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