Five Minutes with Gordon

Less than two weeks ago, Cletis Gordon was, more or less, just another face in the training camp crowd, toiling in relative anonymity. In the blink of an eye, though, things can change. Sometimes drastically.

One moment, Darren Sproles is penciled in as the Chargers’ primary punt and kick returner, and the next, he breaks a leg and is lost for the year, leaving the team scrambling to find someone to take over a job that pretty much amounts to poking a sleeping, hungry lion with a stick.

So it is that Gordon suddenly finds himself in the spotlight, auditioning to be the club’s return specialist. One of a couple dozen free agents signed by the Chargers shortly after the draft last April, the rookie from Jackson State has gotten off to a fine start, breaking loose for a 53 yard return on the opening kickoff of last week’s game against the Bears.

“I fielded the ball and saw that there was a seam on the right, and that the blocking was set up,” he recalled. “I hit it hard, up the sideline, until it was just me and the kicker.”

By the time Cletis had been forced out of bounds, he had crossed midfield and set up the Bolts’ offense with outstanding field position. All in a days work for a guy who participates in the NFL’s version of Demolition Derby.

Gordon showed soft hands, fielding each kickoff and punt he handled on the night flawlessly. Just as importantly, he displayed ‘ice water in his veins” type courage in the presence of bodies flying by and crashing all around him. It’s definitely not a job for the feint of heart.

“It does take a certain fearlessness,” Gordon conceded.

No kidding!

His lack of fear showed particularly while he was returning punts. On more than one occasion, Cletis fielded a punt and had no opening to accelerate through. Some players just go down in a heap at that point, content to secure the ball and hand things over to the offense. Others stutter-step in the hope that a hole will open in front of their eyes, only to get dog-piled by a swarm of defenders. That isn’t Gordon’s style however, not by a longshot. He is not afraid to run ‘East-West’, as the expression goes, looking for a seam, or waiting for one to develop.

“You have to have the speed to get to the corner,” he added. “And the patience for a crease to open.”

And, oh yeah… The courage to be unconcerned about getting your head taken off!

Gordon explained that, before he lines up to take the punt or kickoff, the coaching staff has called a specific play for the return, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, and occasionally up the middle. The play call lets him know in which direction he’s most likely to find a lane, and where he’ll be able to pick up blockers.

“But sometimes you have to improvise,” he said, finding it hard to disguise a bit of a smile.

Improvisation in the world of a return specialist requires good judgment. At least…it does if you’re not going to be ushered to a seat on the bench, or put on the waiver wire. And Gordon appears to possess that sensibility. His instincts tell him when to keep striving, and when to settle for protecting the ball.

Cletis Gordon will see more action this week when the Chargers play the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. It’s his chance to demonstrate that his performance against the Bears wasn’t a fluke, or an aberration. He also hopes to see a bit more action at cornerback, where thus far in the preseason he’s played just two series per game in the defensive backfield.

Every year, a couple of undrafted free agents seemingly come out of nowhere to make the 53 man roster, and Gordon is doing all he can to seize his opportunity. But he’s not getting ahead of himself.

“I’m taking it a day at a time, a practice at a time, a PLAY at a time,” he said.

That strategy seems to be working pretty well so far.

Source: Sign On San Diego