Why Ex-Patriots Coach Isn’t Buying Josh Gordon Hype After Browns Trade

Not everyone is sky-high on the New England Patriots’ trade for Josh Gordon.

Former NFL coach Eric Mangini, who spent time on Bill Belichick’s staff with the Patriots from 2000 to 2005, appeared Tuesday on FS1’s “First Things First” and discussed New England’s decision to trade for Gordon, an incredibly talented wide receiver with a ton of baggage.

While Mangini understands the move, seeing as how the Patriots’ receiving corps could use a boost, he’s also tempering his expectations, largely because the Cleveland Browns went to great lengths to help Gordon and the 27-year-old never reached his potential due to off-the-field problems.

Mangini believes the Patriots will give Gordon — a player who hasn’t proven trustworthy to this point — a small package of plays in which he could thrive. He’ll more or less be a “specialty player,” says Mangini, rather than the second coming of Randy Moss.

To be clear, Mangini isn’t ruling out Gordon succeeding with the Patriots, who likely will ease the 2013 Pro Bowl pick into things until he gets comfortable in New England’s offense. But it’s hard to argue with Mangini’s initial reaction to Monday’s trade: “This is just a lottery ticket; that’s all it is.”