Marvin Lewis: Belichick too smart to sign Ochocinco

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was asked by the Boston Herald on Monday if he thought the Patriots would make a play for free agent receiver Chad Ochocinco.

“Belichick’s smarter than that,” said Lewis, who coached Ochocinco in Cincinnati for the last eight seasons.

Ochocinco recently posted a Tweet about the possibility of coming to New England, calling a potential pairing of he and Belichick “epic.” Belichick has a long history with the controversial wideout, having worked him out as a draft prospect in 2001. Belichick talked about their relationship earlier in the 2010 season.

“I like Chad — I like him as a player. I like him as a person,” Belichick said. “I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that.

“[We’re] an odd couple, but in the end I think we have a lot of things in common.”