BEREA, Ohio _ A month ago, Browns coach Hue Jackson likened the return of wide receiver Josh Gordon to Christmas.
"I get to open a new toy," Jackson said Nov. 20, two days before Gordon came back from suspension to practice.
The hype, however, has yet to match the production. In three games, Gordon has caught 12 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets.
"I do not believe I hit my expectations," Gordon said Thursday. "The goals I set myself to and the standard I set myself to is extremely high. That's to be great and the amount of work that needs to be put into that takes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of time.
"Unfortunately, the amount of time that I have, I'm not making that as an excuse for myself, but I do have to do everything in my power to try to get a win. Right now, my main goal is to win more than anything like 200, 150-yard game, whatever. We're a very young team, very inexperienced. Myself just being out of it for a while, we need to figure out how to win, learn how to win first and then individual stuff will come later."
But a breakout game from Gordon may be just what the Browns (0-14) need to finally win, and it hasn't happened yet. They're hoping it's around the corner because they have only two chances left to avoid a winless season _ at the Chicago Bears (4-10) on Sunday and at the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) on Dec. 31.
"I play a very integral part of that," Gordon said. "I need to lead by example and make sure I can make those big plays and help lift the offense and lift the defense and show us that we're capable of doing these big things. When your number's called, it's your time to go. I have to do that by leading by example when my number's called.
"Unfortunately, we've missed a lot of my opportunities for stretching the field down the field. So I have to keep coming back week after week making sure that when that time comes and (there's a chance for) that big play in the game, it's possible the game-winner in the second half, that I complete that pass and I can change the game."
A 2013 All-Pro selection, Gordon missed 44 consecutive games and 54 of 59 because of recurring violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. In his first game back on Dec. 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had four catches for 85 yards on 11 targets. He followed the impressive performance with three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown on six targets Dec. 10 against the Green Bay Packers and five receptions for 47 yards on 11 targets Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
"People are not just going to let Josh walk back out there and catch 15 balls for 200-something yards," Jackson said. "People know if he does that we have a chance to win. People are going to do everything they can to slow that down.
"Do I think Josh is working hard? Do I think he can get back to where he was? Yeah, I see a really dominant football player who's growing each and every week, who has been consistent in our program and who's working hard. The big game will come. I know we are all looking for it and waiting for it. It's going to come. I think that's still a work in progress."
Jackson said Gordon is receiving extra attention or double-teams from defenders on probably more than 60 percent of his snaps. Gordon downplayed the way defenses have approached him.
"I haven't felt that pressure," he said. "I think I have seen the safety roll my way several times, but it seems like a normal look. I haven't felt the bodies or triangle-type defense to double-team me in any type of way."
At times, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer's accuracy issues have prevented Gordon from making plays. But Gordon hasn't been perfect, either. He dropped a pass in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Ravens and ran the wrong route on another failed connection with Kizer.
Still, Gordon said he has faith he can deliver in a major way.
"I believe that the opportunity is always there," he said. "It's just a matter of certain looks, certain reads, whatever the defense might give us or something I've done wrong.
"I'm always looking for a chance to try to change the game, to be a game-breaker. I feel like that's my role. That's what I'm here for, and I take that on. I take that mission, and I take that with pride and a sense of urgency. And I think that's the mindset I need to have every time, so it's frustrating when you don't get that done."
Is Gordon failing to meet his standards because he was out of football for nearly three years or because he joined a team struggling mightily to consistently make plays?
"I guess you can say pick one," cornerback Jason McCourty said. "He has the ability to do so, but obviously we haven't gotten a lot going offensively or defensively throughout this season, so it's hard to get that done."
Some will question Gordon's effort and desire to be with the Browns, but Jackson has defended his hustle, and the player said he's not thinking about requesting an exit from Cleveland.
"You can ask for a trade whenever you want to really, but that's not really on my mind, man," said Gordon, who's scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the 2018 season. "I'm just glad to be back."
Gordon has talked to new general manager John Dorsey in the locker room, but they have yet to sit down in the executive's office and discuss the future. Dorsey said this week on 92.3 The Fan "as long as (Gordon is) committed to the Cleveland Browns, I will tell you that the Cleveland Browns are committed to him."
Gordon, 26, insisted he wants to be a part of a turnaround with the franchise.
"A lot of us take on this job of being here as a challenge and something that we don't shy away from," he said. "It's not seen as something that's holding us back. It's something as a competitor you want to do. You want to come to Cleveland to change the dynamic, to be one of the people responsible for bringing a winning season, a winning organization to the city.
"Just the fact that we're where we're at doesn't make up our identity as a team, doesn't make up or define my character or who I am, being a loser or less than, anything like that. That means we have to work hard, and when we do get over that hill, it's going to be great."
The Browns would love Gordon to get over the hump this weekend. McCourty and the rest of Gordon's teammates still consider him an elite talent. But whether everything will align in the final two weeks of the season for him to dominate a game remains to be seen. Some of them are convinced it'll happen.
"Josh is an amazing player," running back Isaiah Crowell said. "He's a playmaker. It's coming. He's got what it takes to help us get a win."
