Aqib Talib says Josh Gordon belongs in conversation with Calvin Johnson

Josh Gordon has been a beast for my fantasy teams all season, he's certainly on Calvin Johnson's level in that game.

But what about the real world? How good can the former supplemental draft pick really be?

The answer? pretty damn good. Count Patriots corner Aqib Talib as one who would put the sophomore receiver in elite company already.

“He reminds you of those names, the Calvin Johnsons, the Andre Johnsons, just bigger guys with little guys, speed and quickness," Talib said today, via WEEI. "He can turn an 8-yard curl into a touchdown in a heartbeat. Definitely a challenge."

A challenge that teams have struggled to stop all year, despite knowing where Browns QBs are going with the ball.

With some great research done by reddit user cookmeplox, we're able to see the staggering difference Gordon makes when he's on the field. When Browns QBs throw to Gordon, they have a 108.6 passer rating. When they throw to someone else, they have a 67.1 rating.

That's an astounding difference.

"You get a guy who’s [225] pounds who runs like he’s 35 pounds,” explained Talib. "That's definitely a challenge"

Gordon isn't just physically tough though. He's shown some impressive mental toughness this year as well. From being suspended for the first two games, to having his quarterback change from Brandon Weeden to Brian Hoyer to Brandon Weeden to Jason Campbell to Brandon Weeden to, now, who knows who. Still, he's kept up the production, most recently putting together two back to back 200 yard receiving games for the first time in NFL history.

Will Aqib Talib be able to stop Gordon by himself as he's done to receivers like Vincent Jackson, Julio Jones and Jimmy Graham? More than likely, that answer is no. Seeing as Talib is currently hobbled by a hip injury he sustained in Week 6, we've reached the point where we can't count on him to do his best Revis impression anymore.

Still, you know Belichick must be aware that Josh Gordon is essentially the whole Browns offense. He will do whatever possible to take Gordon away and make Cleveland play left handed, like he so often does.

Can the Patriots succeed? So far, not many teams have.