BEREA, Ohio _ Josh Gordon's 43-yard touchdown catch in Friday's preseason game sent the Browns wide receiver on a trip down memory lane.
"It definitely did send a spark to me and help me remember some things," Gordon, an All-Pro selection in 2013, said. "Have that sense of nostalgia of this is where I belong. This is where I need to be. This stage was meant for me to play on. That's what I'm meant to do. Just doing it consistently and being here for this team, that's really where it starts at, and that's what I want to do."
Gordon caught two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in a 30-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third exhibition game. It was his first game action since Dec. 21, 2014.
After Gordon gained position near the goal line and caught quarterback Robert Griffin III's touchdown pass over four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes with 1:53 left in the second quarter, he put his index finger in front of his mouth to signal his critics to be silent.
Gordon has been rampantly criticized for off-field decisions that have resulted in him being suspended for 27 of the past 32 games because of recurring violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He'll serve another four-game suspension to begin this season. It will officially start at 4 p.m. Saturday, so Wednesday's walk-through session was Gordon's last practice before the suspension goes into effect.
"When you've gone through the certain amount of things that I've gone through and people have their opinions, that's just kind of what comes with it," Gordon said. "I think that play and plays to come will slowly reflect that. Hopefully I can project a different image of myself."
When he's on the field, Gordon projects the image of an elite playmaker. He did it in his 2016 preseason debut in Tampa despite being banished from the league for all of last season.
Gordon didn't just beat Grimes once Friday. During the Browns' first possession, Gordon got past Grimes with a double move and was wide open when he caught a 44-yard pass from Griffin that set up Patrick Murray's 35-yard field goal.
"That's just the art of playing receiver_how to get to the ball and how to get open at all times," Gordon said.
