Josh Gordon claims to be in the best shape of his Patriots career

One of the standout performers in a dominant win over the Steelers in Week 1, Josh Gordon admits he feels stronger and better than ever.

Watching Josh Gordon muscle his way through Steelers defenders en route to scoring the New England Patriots‘ first touchdown of the season Sunday night was spectacularly entertaining as a viewer and as a fan of the team.

It was also a gratifying moment for anyone who calls themself a fan of Gordon as a player and/or as a human being. The mercurial wide receiver has been suspended numerous times throughout his NFL career for violating the league’s policies on substance abuse, and has often spoken about his struggles with mental health issues and overcoming his inner demons as he tries to play professional football.

Gordon was electric in Week 1 for the team that has stood by him throughout his recovery process, hauling in three catches on four Tom Brady targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of course came on the scoring play, when Gordon took a slant from 20 yards out, broke two tackles, and shed a third before charging in through the corner of the end zone.

With Antonio Brown set to join an already lethal-looking receiver corps that features the likes of Gordon, Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, and others, some optimistic Patriots fans are already wondering if this team might have the necessary firepower on both sides of the ball to go 16-0 this year.

While Gordon isn’t about to buy into that kind of talk just yet – he knows he’d be in too much trouble with Bill Belichick to even think about such things – he didn’t shy away from discussing just how incredible he feels physically, mentally, and emotionally in his second year with the Pats.

When asked by reporters Friday whether he felt like he was in the best shape of his New England career, Gordon didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Oh yeah, by far. By far,” Gordon told reporters, per NESN’s Doug Kyed. “I don’t have any injuries this year, fortunately. Me and (strength and conditioning coach) Moses Cabrera have been in the training room every morning getting after it and continue to grow. It’s only Week 2. I’m excited, we’re all excited to see what happens halfways toward the end of the season. I think it’s going to be a huge upside at that point.”

If Gordon continues to play the way he did on Sunday night, the Patriots probably won’t lose many games this season. It’s encouraging to hear what a good place he’s in physically; hopefully his mental health also remains as strong and secure as it is right now.