Chad Ochocinco is now a free agent should the Rams sign him?

[Rambos]

Chad Ochocinco is no longer a member of the New England Patriots, according to the NFL Network and ESPN. Ochocinco's release came after the team's unsuccessful attempts to trade him during the day.

[Tampa_Ram]

No, just No plain and simple.

[RockinRam]

He's washed up. No thanks.

[Jockelite]

Please do and cut him the next day so we can here more about him on ESPN.

[Rambos]

I think he may be worth a look... not sure through

Last year he did struggle big time but every year before that he's been solid.

Chad Ochocinco Stats - New England Patriots - ESPN

[fliptalianstallion]

No, if Darth Belichick couldn't make him the productive receiver we thought he'd be, then that indicates he's good as done.

[Rambos]

No, if Darth Belichick couldn't make him the productive receiver we thought he'd be, then that indicates he's good as done.

He played in one system for 11 years at a high level. Maybe it was just not a good fit. He's no long term solution BUT look what we have...

Three play-makers

Quick - Rookie
Givens - Rookie
DX- Injury prone

These three are the only real deep threats we have... just sayin

[Trevor]

He played in one system for 11 years at a high level. Maybe it was just not a good fit. He's no long term solution BUT look what we have...

Three play-makers

Quick - Rookie
Givens - Rookie
DX- Injury prone

These three are the only real deep threats we have... just sayin

Yeah but this guy had Tom Brady throwing to him and he still couldn't produce.

[Rambos]

Yeah but this guy had Tom Brady throwing to him and he still couldn't produce.

Yeah but his issue was the playbook, he just could not get it down.

So what was the problem with Ochocinco in this offense?

According to multiple sources, he just doesn’t have the football I.Q. that he appeared to have while with the Bengals. The Patriots would literally tell him to run a route a certain way, and a minute later he would run it the other way. It happened all the time.

That being said, considering the Patriots paid him $5.75 million for his first season, he deserved the benefit of the doubt. He came in during a lockout and this offense is much different than Cincinnati. Receivers have to make reads before and after the snap, as receivers coach Chad O’Shea talked about at the Super Bowl.

“At times, there are four decisions that a receiver needs to make after the snap the way our offense is,’’ O’Shea said. “That’s one of the advantages of our offense, that we give players a lot of flexibility within the system to take what the defense gives us. And that’s definitely something that’s unique about our offense.”

That can be a tough challenge for a player, and it proved to be for Ochocinco. But in fairness, he didn’t have an offseason during the lockout and had to deal with it on the fly during training camp. At times, he did show flashes of getting it during the season. So for the Patriots, it was understandable that they would give him another chance after he agreed to take a pay cut to $925,000 for this season. There was no further financial risk in giving him more time to get it. And Ochocinco is still physically talented. He’s in great shape, still has terrific feet, and solid hands.

But when offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien left for Penn State and Josh McDaniels returned, it put Ochocinco further behind. Not only was he catching up on the old stuff, he was trying to learn the new wrinkles. It wasn’t working.

The truth is, it was probably never going to work. What the Patriots didn’t realize watching Ochocinco on film while with the Bengals was, according to several league sources, he ran the routes he wanted to there and it drove quarterback Carson Palmer nuts -- especially later in his Bengals career. But Palmer was smart enough to realize that no matter where Ochocinco was running, he was probably going to get open because his feet are that good down the field. And after so many reps together, Palmer had a good feel for where Ochocinco would end up.

That can play in the Bengals’ offense, but not with the Patriots. This offense is so precise that if one player is in the wrong spot, it throws off the entire system – not to mention it irks Brady, who wants to be in total control at all times on the field.

“I have to trust in Deion and Wes [Welker] and all those guys out there to be in the right spot so I can play fast and anticipate what they’re doing,” he said. “If everyone is not on the same page then it doesn’t work. A lot of what these practices are about is everybody getting on the same page. You have a lot of new guys from other teams, rookies. The faster we can get up to speed and get better as unit, the better we’re going to be.”

Look, the Ochocinco experiment didn’t work. We all know that now. And, yes, it cost the Patriots $5.75 million and two draft picks. But I still think the risk was worth it. The Patriots just miscalculated on Ochocino’s football intelligence.

If there’s any lesson to be learned in the experiment, it’s that the Patriots had to do more research on certain players before they acquired them. According to sources, that lesson was learned before this offseason when the Patriots signed several free agents – only after doing a ton of investigation into them. The team no longer just relied on game film. They found a rock-solid source that vouched for each player this time around.

So on the field, yes, the Ochocinco move failed. But you learn something in every transaction, whether it works out or not. If the new additions put the team over the top this season, perhaps it wasn’t a total loss.

Chad Ochocinco: As Rosenthal pointed out earlier, Ochocinco isn't necessarily a starter anymore, but he's not washed up either. He's in shape, "looks fast" according to The Boston Globe, and didn't cause an ounce of drama even as his numbers fell off the table in New England. He'll probably get one more shot at salvaging his NFL career, and it could come sooner rather than later.
Percentage chance: 80

Ochocinco, who played 10 seasons for Cincinnati before joining the Patriots. In seven seasons, he had seven 1,000-yard receiving years and a high of 97 catches.

[RockinRam]

So if he had that much trouble learning a new system, what makes you believe he could come to St. Louis and not have those same playbook problems?

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

Three words....



No, no, no

[Rambos]

So if he had that much trouble learning a new system, what makes you believe he could come to St. Louis and not have those same playbook problems?

I don't but he was in the the pat's system one year and then they are making a change to McD... so he has to learn all over again and Llyod being there did not help his case...

I'm not saying he will work or not... but heck having him run some 9 routes can't hurt...

Bengals was, according to several league sources, he ran the routes he wanted to there and it drove quarterback Carson Palmer nuts -- especially later in his Bengals career. But Palmer was smart enough to realize that no matter where Ochocinco was running, he was probably going to get open because his feet are that good down the field. And after so many reps together, Palmer had a good feel for where Ochocinco would end up.

This kinda of reminds me of when Lloyd last year changed the route and we scored a TD...

[sosa39rams]

I don't but he was in the the pat's system one year and then they are making a change to McD... so he has to learn all over again and Llyod being there did not help his case...

I'm not saying he will work or not... but heck having him run some 9 routes can't hurt...




This kinda of reminds me of when Lloyd last year changed the route and we scored a TD...

Chad Johnson running 9's? This has to be a joke.. He was never a burner, and considering hes 34, trust me, he's not out-running ANY DB in the NFL on a 9.

[Rambos]

Chad Johnson running 9's? This has to be a joke.. He was never a burner, and considering hes 34, trust me, he's not out-running ANY DB in the NFL on a 9.

Really I always thought he was a deep threat big play receiver not a pure route runner.

[berg8309]

How come every time a diva WR in the twilight of his career with little talent left becomes a free agent we have to have one of these threads?

No, they aren't going to suddenly become one of the best WRs in the NFL again, they are past that.

No, they aren't even average anymore and aren't an upgrade.

No, they won't teach our kids and be mentors, they are too self absorbed for that.

Just no.