When the Patriots acquired the eccentric Chad Ochocinco from the Cincinnati Bengals a few weeks back, many applauded the low-risk
Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco
move by the Pats. Ocho is slated to be the Patriots new #1 receiver, and thus Tom Brady’s favorite target. But what are the realistic expectations for #85? He is not a deep threat, and approaching his mid-30’s. Here are some facts that may temper your enthusiasm:
- He hasn’t played in 16 games since 2007.
- He’s never caught 100 passes in a season, and hasn’t caught at least 90 passes since 2007.
- He’s only had 10 TD’s once – in 2003.
- In 2 of the last 3 seasons, he has not reached 1,000 receiving.
- He had only 4 TD’s last season, and they came against some pretty weak defenses – Buffalo, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and the Patriots.
- In the last 3 seasons, he’s eclipsed 100 yards receiving only 5 times.
So what do these numbers mean? One would think that Ochocinco’s numbers should improve given that Tom Brady will be feeding him the ball rather than Carson Palmer. Palmer, was no slouch but a competent NFL quarterback for a few years. The truth is that Brady has a vast array of weapons – Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez – and it’s no secret that he likes to spread the ball around.
With that being said, Chad Ochocinco doesn’t necessarily profile to be a true #1 receiver as much as another cog in a well-oiled, possession passing machine that is the Patriots offense. This is not a knock on Ocho, he is a good player, but those who are expecting a second coming of Randy Moss are fooling themselves. He will big a big contributor and will take a lot of pressure off the other receivers, but don’t count on Pro Bowl-like numbers. A reasonably educated guess for his production would be 75 receptions, around 900 yards, and 8 TD’s.
