Bears: Why QB Anthony Gordon is the perfect fit

A season to remember

Before we dive into what Gordon has done so far in 2019, we have to take a slight detour and examine how he got here. In a great piece from The Seattle Times, Scott Hanson outlines that journey. Despite putting up video game numbers in high school, he was not highly recruited but was drafted by the New York Mets. Consequently, he had to decide whether to pursue a career in baseball or roll the dice on a football career starting at City College of San Francisco.

He chose the latter and played well enough in two seasons to get a call from Mike Leach who offered him a spot at WSU. However, he faced stiff competition which included one of the bright spots of the 2019 NFL season, Gardner Minshew, who won the starting job over Gordon and Trey Tinsley.

Gordon would not be denied this season though, as he grabbed hold of the starting job and has torn through opposing defenses all season. Through just 11 games he’s completing 71.3 percent of his passes for 4,920 yards (8.4 yards/attempt), 45 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

He’s already set the school’s single-season passing touchdown record, as well as the Pac-12 single-season records for both passing touchdowns and passing yards. He’s thrown for 906 more yards and four more touchdowns than Burrow, and his completion percentage (71) is only seven points behind Burrow’s (78) despite throwing 216 more passes.

His performance on the road against the 11th ranked Oregon Ducks, which boasted a top-ten defense at the time, was impressive, to say the least. He threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, outplaying expected first-round pick Herbert in the process. In the end, the defense failed to hold the lead, but Gordon’s 90-yard drive with less than three minutes left in the game showed poise and precision as he carved up the defense even though they knew exactly what was coming.

The game also included one of perhaps the best throws of the season, even though it ended in an interception. Unable to step into the throw due to pressure, he throws the ball off his back foot from the 25-yard line and drops it in between coverage into the hands of his wide receiver. Unfortunately, it bounced off his hands and facemask and fortuitously into the hands of a defender, but it demonstrated his ability to throw off-platform with accuracy.

However, his most impressive throw might just be this third touchdown against Stanford. He rips a bullet in between two safeties and a cornerback with absolutely no margin for error. Take a look:

As impressive as his numbers are, his ability to make every NFL throw, with anticipation, into tight windows, is what is most appealing. There is a myriad of other reasons why Gordon represents such an intriguing option for the Bears, including many of his intangibles.

We spoke about these reasons and many more with former Washington State quarterback Alex Brink.