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Josh Gordon Must Reverse the Patriots' Long History of Failed Experiments

If Monday's Josh Gordon trade gave you a feeling of deja vu, it's because the Patriots have a long history of Gordon-like experiments.

Patriots experiments are not like ordinary transactions. They always involve a player who is famous, troubled, controversial or some combination of all three. They are usually outside-the-box moves, like trades or in-season waiver claims, as opposed to offseason free-agent signings. They're bold, risky moves that other franchises are reluctant to make, and they often throw the football world into a Patriots-are-geniuses tizzy.

Everyone remembers the Randy Moss trade, just as everyone knows that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.