Hue Jackson pulled his team through adversity before the Saints game. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

NEW ORLEANS - Coach Hue Jackson explained to his Browns players in a team meeting on Saturday night the organzation's bombshell decision to release Josh Gordon on Monday, or trade him if they can.

Then, his team went out and almost beat the Saints in the hostile Superdome before succumbing 21-18 on a series of missed kicks by Zane Gonzalez, including two field goals and two extra points.

"I always talk to the team in those situations,'' Jackson said. "It wasn't about keeping that out. I've always been honest and up front with our guys about what we're doing as an organization 'cause I think that's the way it should be. They should know. I told them that last night. Nobody flinched. They understood it. We wish Josh well on his journey. We all love and respect Josh but we had to do what we felt we had to do as an organization."

He acknowledged that such a move could rock the locker room.

"It could if you're not strong enough,'' he said. "I just think we have strong enough leaders in the room and when you're honest with them and you tell them what's going on, if you walk out there and you're not sure why this is happening, then that's different. (When) they know, they process that real quickly and understand what we need to get done. We move on."

Here's how the players reacted to the news that their star receiver will be gone:

Don't Edit

1. Myles Garrett

Don't Edit

Garrett, who tweeted a crying GIF about Gordon on Saturday night, acknowledged "It's a business. It's one of your family members, but at the end of the day you got to have a short memory in the NFL. He was part of it and now somebody else will fill that role whether it's a guy that's here or somebody they're going to bring in, but you still got to win at the end of the day no matter what the odds are."

He admitted he was surprised and that it's hard to see him go, "but obviously at the end of the day we got to move on. I wish him the best, I hope he finds success where he goes. He's always been a great guy to us and a great guy to be around in the facility."

He said it posed no distraction during the game.

"We're focused on the task at hand. The other distractions or noise, we push that out."



He hadn't talked to Gordon yet, but "I hope to say something after the game

Don't Edit

2. Tyrod Taylor

Don't Edit

Taylor acknowledged it was tough, but fortunately, he had guys like Antonio Callaway step up for him and catch that 47-yard TD pass to tie it at 18 with 1:16 left in the game.

"I don't think it had any impact in regard to this game. Away from this game, of course you lose a brother, you lose a teammate,'' he said. "I hope everything works out for him in the long run. Obviously, things haven't worked out well for him, but I'm going to keep praying for him and hope that he gets on the right track.''

Last week, Gordon caught a 17-yard TD pass to tie the game at 21 with 1:58 left in the regulation of the 21-21 tie with the Steelers. Now, he'll no longer have the star wideout.

"It's tough, but at the same time we have guys like (Antonio) Callaway, (Rashard) Higgins, Jarvis (Landry), who are ready for those opportunities,'' he said. "We knew going into this game that he was going to be ruled out, so it wasn't like everything just surprised us. We were going to be working with him to get ready for next week. But of course, when you lose that type of talent, it's always tough since he's a special talent. But at the same time some decisions get made that you don't really have control over. We'll be praying for him and his well-being and hopefully everything works out for him.'

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

3. Antonio Callaway

Callaway started in place of Gordon and responded with the spectular 47-yard catch.

"Our coaches make the right decision when they decide to do things, so we just go with the flow and follow in their footsteps,'' he said.

Does he understand why it was necessary?

"Yes,'' he said.

Is he ready to fill his shoes?

"I'm ready,'' he said.

He said he's still supporting Gordon.

" He's still a big brother,'' he said. "It's tough, but we've just to move on. We're going to build from this.'

Don't Edit

4. Jarvis Landry

At first, Landry refused to address the Gordon release.

"I don't want to talk about that,'' he said.

But will the receiving corps pull together in the absence of Gordon, their former starting X receiver?

"We're going to approach every game and practice just the way that we've always did, regardless of who's in the room and who's not,'' he said. "We'll be fine, we'll be fine.''

Landry acknowledged that the Browns had a chance to win the game even without Gordon.

"We had just as many opportunities to win the Pittsburgh game as we had to win this game. Just didn't do it. Regardless of (who's here)... just didn't do it.''

Don't Edit

5. Joel Bitonio

Bitonio doesn't believe the Gordon bombshell impacted the game.

"No, we were OK,'' he said. "I think Antonio Callaway, (Rashard) Higgins, those guys stepped up, played a lot more than they probably were going to."

He said Jackson did a good job of explaining the rationale.

"He told us what it was and said we've got to go out there and battle with the guys we have and that's what we tried to do,'' he said.

Bitonio added, "It's unfortunate. He's been around a long time. I've been around him for five years now, and it's tough 'cause he's a good guy and you hope he gets all the help he can get and he stays out of trouble.

Don't Edit

6. Larry Ogunjobi

Ogunjobi, who had two sacks and a third that was wiped out by a penalty, didn't see it coming.

"It was shocking 'cause you don't really expect that, especially so sudden, especially the day before the game,'' he said. "It's a tough decision, but it's a business, and that's just one of the aspects of it unfortunately."

Don't Edit

7. Carlos Hyde

Hyde, who scored on a 1-yard sweep to the left, wasn't distracted by the news.

"I definitely think we'll be all right,'' he said. "We've got some young guys. ... I think they're definitely ready for it. (Antonio) Callaway came up big today. (Rashard Higgins) came up big today."

He added, "it's part of the business, man. No shocker, honestly. You see crazy stuff all the time across the league. You've got to stay locked in. We had a game today we had to focus on."

He noted that the Browns were in position to win the game.

"I don't think it affected anybody mentally,'' he said. "If anything, it gave other guys an opportunity to go play."

Don't Edit