On to New England! It's Cheetahs week.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Stephon Gilmore accuses Antonio Brown of a “super dirty” play
By Michael David Smith | Dec 17, 2018, 3:21 PM EST

Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore engaged in some pushing and shoving with Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on Sunday, and afterward Gilmore said Brown had engaged in dirty play.

“He did a little dirty move, grabbed my helmet, threw me down,” Gilmore said, via NESN. “That was super dirty. But other than that, just competing on the field.”

Although the Steelers won the game, Gilmore played well in his individual matchup with Brown and came out of it proud of his play.

“It was fun,” Gilmore said. “He’s one of the best receivers today. One thing that he’s good at — it’s not his routes — but his [timing] . . . when he makes his move. He’s very good at it.”

It was a good battle between the two of them, one we may see again in the playoffs.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Josh McDaniels: “No ulterior motive” to Josh Gordon’s absence on final play

Posted by Mike Florio on December 18, 2018, 3:09 PM EST

During Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, New England receiver Josh Gordon didn’t do much, catching only one pass for 19 yards. More surprisingly, Gordon wasn’t on the field for the final play from scrimmage for a Patriots team trailing by seven.

It was fourth and 15 from the Steelers 21, a snap that came after Pittsburgh called a timeout. But there was no Gordon among the targets available to Tom Brady.

“We had just kind of run quite a few plays in a row,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Tuesday when asked about the situation by reporters. “I know there was a timeout there before that. Both of those guys have worked at that spot and in that type of a situation, and based on what we were doing, we made the choice to go with [Cordarrelle Patterson] at that point — no ulterior motive on that at all. Just put a fresh guy in to go in there and do something on the last play to see if we could get into the end zone, and it is what it is.”

It was what it was, a failed effort to tie the game, and an outcome that has many wondering whether the Patriots have lost their mojo. From the collapse of situational football against the Dolphins to the undisciplined play against the Steelers (14 penalties is a staggering amount of flags for a Bill Belichick team) to increasing questions about Father Time making his final kick toward Tom Brady, the Patriots are now guaranteed to have fewer than 12 wins for the first time since 2009, and they’re in danger of not having a bye for the first time since that same season.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/18/josh-mcdaniels-no-ulterior-motive-to-josh-gordons-absence-on-final-play/

[RuthlessBurgher]

Josh Gordon steps away from football, again

Posted by Mike Florio on December 20, 2018, 10:02 AM EST

For the second time this year, and for the first time with the Patriots, receiver Josh Gordon has voluntarily stepped away from football, amid reports that it’s really not voluntary.

“I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level,” Gordon said in a post on social media. “I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health. I would like to thank Coach Belichick, Mr. Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support. I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path to getting back to 100%.”

It’s unclear what “for a bit” means, but the NFL’s in-house media arm is reporting that Gordon currently faces another indefinite suspension under the substance-abuse policy — despite the high degree of confidentiality that applies to the substance-abuse policy, supposedly.

Gordon missed all of 2016 and 2017 due to violations of the substance-abuse policy. The Browns abruptly traded him to the Patriots after Week One, a move that came after Gordon voluntarily delayed reporting to training camp, again citing a desire to address issues relating to his mental health.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/20/josh-gordon-steps-away-from-football-again/

[Steel Maniac]

If it comes down to a FG to win the game do you really trust Boswell to do it?

No.

12 misses; most by any kicker in the NFL this year.

[Steel Maniac]

Josh Gordon steps away from football, again

Posted by Mike Florio on December 20, 2018, 10:02 AM EST

For the second time this year, and for the first time with the Patriots, receiver Josh Gordon has voluntarily stepped away from football, amid reports that it’s really not voluntary.

“I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level,” Gordon said in a post on social media. “I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health. I would like to thank Coach Belichick, Mr. Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support. I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path to getting back to 100%.”

It’s unclear what “for a bit” means, but the NFL’s in-house media arm is reporting that Gordon currently faces another indefinite suspension under the substance-abuse policy — despite the high degree of confidentiality that applies to the substance-abuse policy, supposedly.

Gordon missed all of 2016 and 2017 due to violations of the substance-abuse policy. The Browns abruptly traded him to the Patriots after Week One, a move that came after Gordon voluntarily delayed reporting to training camp, again citing a desire to address issues relating to his mental health.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/20/josh-gordon-steps-away-from-football-again/

I think he's done.