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Is this the end of Chad Ochocinco in New England? 10.16.11 at 9:07 pm ET
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Chad Ochocinco did not have a catch in Sunday's win over the Cowboys. (AP)

Chad Ochocinco did not have a catch in Sunday's win over the Cowboys. (AP)

FOXBORO — Rap music — don’t ask me what song — was blaring from Chad Ochocinco’s locker minutes after the Patriots’ 20-16 comeback win over the Cowboys.

And after six weeks it appears that is all No. 85 brings to the table for this team. Turns out a fifth-round pick and a $4.75 million signing bonus gets you a flop for a wide receiver but a home run for a disc jockey.

Look, sometimes it doesn’t work out. For every Mike Vrabel there is at least one Donald Hayes. And maybe we are all trying too hard to read into body language (and here’s my nickel’s worth — Ochocinco was clearly upset, very emotional indeed while walking out of the locker room after declining to speak to the media) and his relationship with Tom Brady and all things Twitter. Could be a classic Boston overreaction.

So let’s instead focus on facts. Chad Ochocinco has nine catches in six games. Chad Ochocinco has 136 yards receiving (in a historically productive offense) through six games. Through six games, Chad Ochocinco has as many TD catches as Evelyn Lozada.

And he never plays. Well, almost never. My first-draft snap count from Sunday has Ochocinco on the field for a grand total of four plays (including the final play of the first half — which was a run-out-the-clock rush from Danny Woodhead). Hey, almost as many snaps as Zoltan Mesko!

The last snap — which I suppose could be the final snap in his New England career, I’d call it a coin flip — was another for Ochocinco’s 2011 reel of mishaps. With four receivers loaded on the right side of the field, Ochocinco was the lone wideout on the left side, matched up one-on-one with Terrence Newman. Again, what follows is 100 percent speculation, but it sure looked like Ochocinco ran the wrong route. How do we know this? Well, A) Brady absolutely reamed him out after the incompletion and B) we did not see DJ 85 on the field again.

And this is how it’s been for Ochocinco this season. Mistake after mistake. In Week 1, a drop, a poorly run route and a dopey penalty that wiped out a 40-yard Rob Gronkowski catch. Week 3 vs. Buffalo? The weak route on a Leodis McKelvin interception (for me his lowest moment so far this year — I can live with the other stuff, but he just quit on that play) and a “Did that just happen?” drop on what would have been a wide-open fourth-quarter TD. (The Patriots eventually scored a TD on the drive but  the drop was plenty costly. It came with 8:12 left in the fourth quarter. The Welker TD came with 3:25 left. Pretty sure the Patriots would’ve like those 287 seconds back as Ryan Fitzpatrick was taking a knee to set up the game-winning field goal.)

There are Carl Crawford parallels here. Both have had success in smaller markets. Both have struggled mightily in their first season in Boston (career worsts all around, and how many times did you ask, “Can he really be this bad?” when watching Crawford this season? Same with Ochocinco, right?). Both — hello again to speculation – seem awfully sensitive when it comes to pressure from the media. But the differences, of course, are these: Crawford is three years younger and has about $120 million guaranteed left on his contract.

Ochocinco is 33 years old, very squarely on the back nine for 99 percent of NFL receivers. The days of 90 catches and 1,300 yards already were gone. We knew that when the trade was made, of course. All the Patriots were hoping for was a role player, a guy who could fit somewhere right behind Wes Welker and Deion Branch.

Instead he’s a guy behind Taylor Price on the depth chart. And with a bye week and the prospect of Brandon Lloyd looming, it’s fair to wonder if the Ochocinco era is over.

Will he Tweet that he’s gone from heaven to hell? Will the media get together for a farewell group hug? Is this really the end of Child Please?

Not sure that he would be missed on the field, but good luck finding a DJ that can match his skills.

Read More: Chad Ochocinco, Tom Brady, Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Kevin

    If only it were the end of Kirk Minahane and his stupid columns?

  • http://none Caleb

    lol ^

  • mcnally1983

    Brandon Lloyd might be a nice addition, especially if it means the end of ochocinco,but shouldn’t the pats be looking at an impactful defensive addition. Don’t know if there’s any out there. What happened to Bill, the defensive coach?

  • Chad

    Perfect!!

  • http://none barry

    No hard feelings…but it is probably the end. I would like more reps for Price.
    it just didnt jell for Chad.

  • Regular

    It seems that Brady has yet to develop trust in Chad Ochocinco, as he has with Welker, Branch, Hernandez and Gronkowski. I say give Ochocinco some more time. He is already the #3 wide receiver. Let him find his niche and hopefully he can get better each week from now on. That’s not to say if Brandon Lloyd can be had for a relatively reasonable price, Belichick shouldn’t think hard about doing the deal.

  • ShamWow

    Sometimes its just not meant to be. Love 85 but some athletes just think too much. 85 is thinking way too much. They should have some plays just for Chad but that would go against the Patriot way.

  • Kern

    Patriots win and this is the lead story? Please. If Price was ahead on the charts Price would be playing. We don’t know what the expectation is when it comes to Ochocinco and we certainly don’t know if the idea is have him be the featured guy in some other game. Brady reamed him out? Brady is his QB. Brady is the leader of this team, he reams everybody out. I’m not saying if Ocho is safe; I don’t know. Guess what? You don’t either. Can we wait until the season is over before we assess how successful or not the team is?

  • Felgie

    LOL @ kevin. I agree, Minihane is wack! Jack Edwards rules!

  • Tony M

    Wow I’m all about a learning curve, but he’s just playing his way off the field. Anyone else hear the rumors the Pats are looking to grab Jared Allen from the Vikes? Tonight’s embarrassment versus the Bears may stimulate that talk. He’s got a lot of gas left in the tank.

  • gs

    Pats should of paid Randy Moss…end of story..Media in this town pushed Randy out of here…kept pushing him to speak..and then when he did..nobody liked what he had to say, then he’s a bad guy..These guys are here to play football not please the media..Look Ocho stinks and media kissing his butt…Randy was here..Hall of Famer and you pushed him out of here..
    They could of paid a real wide reciever ..MOSS..could of retired in Red White and Blue…
    Moss probably wouldn’t have been like 07..but at least he would’ve been better than OCHO…at least we can agree on that!

  • Jackthestripper

    Aaron Hernandez gave up his #85 for this bum?

  • reuben

    Didn’t “jell” for Chad? Give me a break. Dude was terrible in Cincy the last few years as he let his outside life take over. TV shows, etc. Always ran his “own route”. Carson could only throw to him if he was open, not based on the route.

    Bengals actually did something right in getting rid of him.

  • Uncle Buck

    Just cut him and move on. No time for his BS. He is and always has been a @ssclown.

  • Uncle Buck

    a should have been an

  • Taylor

    Jared Allen!!!If he was traded to the Patriots our defense would be substantially better. We need him! We need that pass rush! Jared Allen please!!!

  • Dave

    Ocho-Stinko needs to be Ocho goneo, Pats don’t need him

  • pacopaco

    Why waste a draft pick on Price if you’re not going to play him???? Some time the PATRIOTS drive me crazy!!!!

  • http://eei Jake

    He’s like the 5th or 6th option in this offense. Welker, Gronk, Hernandez, Branch,Woodhead then maybe ocho. Who dhould they take out of gameplan to get him the ball?? What #5 or 6 option had a big day in the NFL yesterday? Good luck finding one. Yes they paid him a lot, but BB has always liked him and probably has faith in him if Welker or Branch were to go down with an injury. The $ don’t mean much to the organization. They need to find another safety before worrying too much about WR’s.

  • http://eei Jake

    And I haven’t heard the Jared Allen one. But would be 100% behind it. Bro would look great in a Pats uni!!

  • http://Verizon Mike

    Should he be given one more shot????

    HELL, NO!!!! Ocho stink-o

  • snidleywhiplash

    Randy Moss? Are you insane. Randy would just blow up , beat up caterers or whatever for his ME ONLY attitude. Bill has to approach this from a “team” perspective. If Lloyd can play the position better, say a Gafney type player we have to take him. Brady needs more weapons. The Cowboy game was a very good test for Pats. They had 2 weeks to prepare. Now with our bye week we can finally end the Ocho era , if you want to call it that.

  • ajax21

    How about a pass rusher? The receiving corps, as long as it stays healthy, of course, looks first-class. We’re still looking for that pass rush the Pats used to have. I doubt it’s hidden in #85′s locker.

  • angullaman

    They sunk too much into OCHO to dump him now…unless he is traded, he’ll stay with the team .

  • Bengal FANN

    Chad Ochocinco should have played his last year out in cincinnati. He might of had a break out year with Andy Dalton at the wheel.. But his impatience got him a nice warm seat on the patriots bench…lol…I met Chad several times in cincy. He went from being Humble, to being a Diva . Now the Bengals will when more games than Chad Ochocincos catches from Brady. I remember he told the fans one year that he is NOT A FOOTBALL PLAYER but an ENTERTAINER. I think I can see that now!!!!!

  • gutoman

    At least Randy Moss knows the plays! He can be a good soldier for 10 weeks. It’s amazing that with the so-call relationship BB had with 85 , he could have missed this badly. I guess you REALLY can’t tell until they strap it up… It’s kind of sad.

  • fab4ever

    As Roy Orbinson once sang so brilliantly, “It’s Over”…Everyone knew this was a gamble..what we didn’t know was that he could be at this degree of “over”…when the deal was struck, if someone told every one of us that he’d have a total of 6 catches to this point while healthy, we’d ask to put the crack pipe away. If his skill set is gone, so be it…but what I find surprising is that a WR of his pedigree cannot learn this offensive system..he’s no different than a rookie and rookies get it after a couple of games and continue to learn…Chad has done neither. Move on….

  • Pattijor

    Never got the signing. Is he not smart enough to learn the system, or is he just not trying to? When they have so many other needs with pass rushing and line protection.

  • OchoGoneO

    The Chad apologists can finally step down. I watched him for several years in Cincinnati, and for all the talk about him being a hard worker, etc., he always felt himself to be more of an entertainer than a football player. Despite some great plays now and then, he would not run the correct routes or even block for others. A lot (not all, but significant portion) of Carson’s problems were because of Chad freelancing or being on a different page. When he was traded, all I heard from Pats fans was “give him some time, it’s a complicated offense, he’s still learning.” Sorry, but he will never learn. He will always be on a “different page” than the QB and the rest of the team. The entire Bengals team, including a rookie QB and a rookie WR have picked up the Bengals’ completely new offense, without training camp. Chad, presumably surrounded by other players and coaches for help and guideance, continues to run incorrect routes — after 10 games including preseason. I don’t know why the Pats felt the need to trade anything for the Ocho — he was going to be cut anyway. There was no way the Bengals were going to let him get anywhere near AJ Green/Andy Dalton.

  • Guy5702

    I can’t understand why a receiver with his talent can’t run a “down and out” 10-15 yards down the field. That’s a timing play between him and Brady. If he could just do that, he would be able to give Welker and Branch a brief rest for a few plays. Plus maybe get us a few first downs. If he can’t learn the system, get rid of him so a younger player could at least get some reps. Welker learned the system. Moss learned the system. Gronkowski learned the system. Hernandez learned the system. I won’t count Branch because he was here before.

  • Its Moss Time

    It’s a bye week…………….RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY, RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY,RANDY, RANDY, RANDY – MOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Kern

    You cats are unbelievable…I guess that’s why Minihane posted this. The team is 5 and 1 going into the bye…The defense (like anyone with an inkling of football had predicted) is improving; contrary to (popular?) opinion, there is a pass rush (and that’s improving too) and the offense (despite the occasional sup-par drive) can be considered one of the NFL best; and you want to drive Ocho out of town? Teams are beginning to key on Welker, Branch has knee problems, when the weather changes Gronk’s primary role will also change as running the ball steps forward, Hernandez has missed time both seasons due to injury and two viable receivers is not going to get it done. Patience…there is a lot of football left to be played….

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