Ochocinco: Gaining confidence

[Brady_to_Moss]

He needed that big pass play so bad. Even if he didn't do anything else..it was a huge play in a huge game...he will get better

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

He'll probably never put up the big #'s, but if he can come up with a few big catches a game that'll make it all worth it. Both of his catches last night were huge, led to scores that probably wouldn't have happened without those plays. And if Brady hits him deep a few more times to make him a legit threat, that will open things up bigtime.

 

[NEPatriot]

He'll probably never put up the big #'s, but if he can come up with a few big catches a game that'll make it all worth it. Both of his catches last night were huge, led to scores that probably wouldn't have happened without those plays. And if Brady hits him deep a few more times to make him a legit threat, that will open things up bigtime.

I agree that a few big catches will help. That said, I don't think it'll make the 6 million dollar investment in Ochocinco a good decision.

 

[ausbacker]

I agree that a few big catches will help. That said, I don't think it'll make the 6 million dollar investment in Ochocinco a good decision.

2011 is proving to be a weird season. We've lost to the Bills and Steelers which never happens, we've lost at home to the frigging Giants, which should never happen and we've beaten the Jets for the first time since 2008 in New York.

I'm going to sit back and watch this season evolve. The defense has 7 games to take their football to an elite level as does Ocho.

 

[Lurks_All_Day]

2011 is proving to be a weird season. We've lost to the Bills and Steelers which never happens, we've lost at home to the frigging Giants, which should never happen and we've beaten the Jets for the first time since 2008 in New York.

I'm going to sit back and watch this season evolve. The defense has 7 games to take their football to an elite level as does Ocho.

I've read a lot of your posts, some I agree with, some I don't....

I had to respond here, as I feel the same pain with the losses to the Bills, Steelers, and (gasp!) Giants.
But the sweet sweet sweep of the fargin' jests makes every other hideous fiasco worthwhile to me. I love nothing more than to see Rex Ryan humbled.
I'm confident that we'll win the re-match with the reeling Bills. And the Dolphins? LOL...
Ocho may find his niche, he may not... He's improved, and that's good enough right now.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I agree that a few big catches will help. That said, I don't think it'll make the 6 million dollar investment in Ochocinco a good decision.

Well for this year, the $$ didn't really bother me since I don't think we spent up to the cap or had anyone else in mind to sign that we simply couldn't fit under the cap. I think his future cap hits are lower right?

 

[alvinnf]

He needed that big pass play so bad. Even if he didn't do anything else..it was a huge play in a huge game...he will get better

A better ball and that is six. I am not a card carrying Ocho guy. But, I would love to see him become a viable part of this offense. Hopefully some leads in games over the next few weeks will garner some confidence in him.

 

[Texxx]

Thank you for these pearls of wisdom. Still pissed off the Patriots beat your Jets on the weekend?

Please go troll somewhere else until you can write an intelligent response. I hate the Jets and I'm a Pats fan. For you to jump to a stupid conclusion like that because I'm irritated to even be still talking about CJ's presence on this team is pretty damn silly considering what a complete bust he's been on this team thus far. It was a bad decision to pick him up in the first place when there were better options available in the off season. HIs route running has been bad for years and he has had horrible relationships with every coach he has had since HS. The Pats didn't need CJ in the first place.

 

[rivers983]

Good lord, when is this Ocho Stinko stuff going to stop. He is not a Patriot. He is nothing but a roacher that was a team cancer on the Bengals for years. His skills have diminished and if this was any other guy who didn't have this huge name that he does, he would have been released already like he should have been. He was an awful pick up for the off season and there were much better options. Drop him now and stop wasting the time. Branch has played pretty damn well.

Dumbest post of the year nominee

 

[randomk1]

Gaining confidence? The guy had no lack of confidence when he put on that yellow hall of fame jacket on the bengals sidelines.

I honestly held Ocho in pretty high regard and i was expecting an immediate impact from him. He had some issues but i expected those things to go away on a winning team. The guy has a reputation of being a very hard worker...same goes for Brady...how is it possible that Ocho can't get the playbook down and that Brady and Ocho have almost no chemistry between them?

Why is it so hard to play WR in the Pats system? Ocho seems to fit the bill of a Pats WR. Intelligent,crisp routerunning yet he struggles.

 

[ausbacker]

Please go troll somewhere else until you can write an intelligent response. I hate the Jets and I'm a Pats fan. For you to jump to a stupid conclusion like that because I'm irritated to even be still talking about CJ's presence on this team is pretty damn silly considering what a complete bust he's been on this team thus far. It was a bad decision to pick him up in the first place when there were better options available in the off season. HIs route running has been bad for years and he has had horrible relationships with every coach he has had since HS. The Pats didn't need CJ in the first place.

Parading around as a Patriots fan whilst levelling 6 or so posts disparing Patriots players or current form = Jets troll. You can spot them a mile away.

Thanks for the Chad Johnson/Ochocinco revisionist history. I'm sure you're spot on and I look forward to reading your posts moving forward.

Gaining confidence? The guy had no lack of confidence when he put on that yellow hall of fame jacket on the bengals sidelines.

I honestly held Ocho in pretty high regard and i was expecting an immediate impact from him. He had some issues but i expected those things to go away on a winning team. The guy has a reputation of being a very hard worker...same goes for Brady...how is it possible that Ocho can't get the playbook down and that Brady and Ocho have almost no chemistry between them?

Why is it so hard to play WR in the Pats system? Ocho seems to fit the bill of a Pats WR. Intelligent,crisp routerunning yet he struggles.

To be fair I thought Ocho would come good after the bye given the read and react complexity of the Patriots routes, however I didn't expect it would take this long.

Fingers crossed the Patriots make the playoffs as Ocho could prove himself there if he's dinkum about leaving a legacy in the NFL other than celebrations and off field entertainment.

 

[shmessy]

Good lord, when is this Ocho Stinko stuff going to stop. He is not a Patriot. He is nothing but a roacher that was a team cancer on the Bengals for years. His skills have diminished and if this was any other guy who didn't have this huge name that he does, he would have been released already like he should have been. He was an awful pick up for the off season and there were much better options. Drop him now and stop wasting the time. Branch has played pretty damn well.

Texxx, I respect that you're a Texans fan who has developed a healthy respect for the Brady Pats, but you are way out of your element when you make an argument based on "Branch has played pretty damn well".

-What did you expect?????

Branch was the #2 WR all along. For 9 years (with an interruption) Branch and Brady have had a mind-meld (ref: the CBS 60 Minutes report in 2005). Welker #1 and the two TE's were also more intrinsic to the offense than Ochocinco was expected to be.

He's the #5 option (#6 if you throw in a RB or two). Only someone not familiar with the organization could expect anything different.

He came in the door 10 days before the first preseason game. He's kept Taylor Price on the bench for a reason. He was the #2 yards gainer for receiving in the biggest game of the year and he's improving with each week.

He'll be an important #3 WR down the stretch and will challenge Branch for #2 next year.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

I agree that a few big catches will help. That said, I don't think it'll make the 6 million dollar investment in Ochocinco a good decision.

Well, let's see how the full season plays out and what Ocho does in the remaining games. The investment made is a sunk cost and its return can be better evaluated after Ocho plays his last game this season in a Pats uniform.

 

[RIpats88]

I think having that big play(and the other nice play) in a big game is just what Ocho needed to build his confidence. 65yards...2nd highest receiving yards for the team.

an Ochocinco who plays with confidence is going to be more effective than the guy out there who looked like he doubted his abilities the first 8weeks.

the next step with our relatively easy looking schedule coming up is to get him more reps and even integrate him into the 2 WR sets so that we can give guys like Branch, Hernandez and even Welker a rest. those guys have been taking a beating. It will also get him/brady more comfortable together.

 

[Texxx]

Parading around as a Patriots fan whilst levelling 6 or so posts disparing Patriots players or current form = Jets troll. You can spot them a mile away.

So post count is what you look at to make your conclusions?? Pretty stupid. Is it that hard to believe that someone might have the opinion that a guy who has been worthless this season might have been a bad pick up? If you're so paranoid about the Jets or Jets fans, leave me out of it. I don't care to argue with you about some team that I don't even like.

The fact of the matter is that you haven't even presented an argument here. You've just screamed troll, because you aren't able to present any facts to support your position here. The facts are what they are and up to this point Chad has been a waste of money and a pick up that should have been evaluated better. He hasn't done anything and has more drops than catches if I'm not mistaken. There is nothing to support that he was a good pick up at this stage in time. You're just banging your head against a wall with this.

 

[Texxx]

Texxx, I respect that you're a Texans fan who has developed a healthy respect for the Brady Pats, but you are way out of your element when you make an argument based on "Branch has played pretty damn well".

-What did you expect?????

Branch was the #2 WR all along. For 9 years (with an interruption) Branch and Brady have had a mind-meld (ref: the CBS 60 Minutes report in 2005). Welker #1 and the two TE's were also more intrinsic to the offense than Ochocinco was expected to be.

He's the #5 option (#6 if you throw in a RB or two). Only someone not familiar with the organization could expect anything different.

He came in the door 10 days before the first preseason game. He's kept Taylor Price on the bench for a reason. He was the #2 yards gainer for receiving in the biggest game of the year and he's improving with each week.

He'll be an important #3 WR down the stretch and will challenge Branch for #2 next year.

Spare me with the out of my element stuff here. Chad Johnson is old and has never been a superb route runner. He's been a great athlete that freelances around the field and could out perform DB's for years because he had great athleticism. He doesn't have the same speed or the same play making burst he once had. He developed a lot of bad habits over the years and was known as a "quitter" in Cinci and even said that himself by his own admission. Hell, the guy took a swing at his coach and challenged his OC even. Look at his history and you'll see that he has had problems with every coach going back to HS and college as well. He is not a Patriot type of player and he'll be a short term project that didn't work like Haynesworth most likely. If he ends up being this huge weapon down the stretch I'll be happy to admit that I was wrong, but I don't see him having the athletic abilities or the focus that he once had to do that anymore.

Branch has been pretty solid. He'll never be some dynamic play maker, but he makes the plays that are there. Could he be upgraded? Sure, but I'd trust him 100 times before I'd trust Chad Johnson. I've seen hundreds of WR's over the years switch to different teams and new offenses and learn the system fairly quickly. Hell, the Pats have added a trio of different WR's over the years and none of them have struggled as hard as CJ has just to learn this system and to become productive in this offense like he has for a guy that is supposed to be this big time weapon.

 

[RIpats88]

he may have had attitude problems in Cincy, but there is no evidence that he has had one here Texx....if he did then he would be out the door just like Haynesworth this year and Moss last year. Belichick has made it clear he doesnt care how big your name/reputation is. if you are a distraction in the lockerroom and arent giving your all..you are Gone. I think you are way off base on that point.

From all accounts, hes been a hard worker and wants this to work out just as much as anyone, and Brady seems to be giving him the vote of confidence in wanting this to work out...and I doubt he's suddenly lost his athletic abilities from when he was a 800yard receiver last year...I think its stretching to say its the same situation as haynesworth.

lets step back for a second...he had 65yards against the Jets..thats not bad production for someone who is your 5th receiving option on offense....most of us are only hoping and looking at it as a sign that he finally can start to play a larger role in this offense going forward and be productive.....Deion Branch is a good player, but we can definitely use Ocho's differing skillset on the sidelines and in beating man coverage

hopefully he can consistently produce going forward the 2nd half of the year, and if he does I am willing to forgive him for the horrid 1st half...I mean, no one remembers that Gaffney didnt do anything until the playoffs

 

[Texxx]

he may have had attitude problems in Cincy, but there is no evidence that he has had one here Texx....if he did then he would be out the door just like Haynesworth this year and Moss last year. Belichick has made it clear he doesnt care how big your name/reputation is. if you are a distraction in the lockerroom and arent giving your all..you are Gone. I think you are way off base on that point.

Fair enough, but how long is that going to last? A guy who has a history that he does for like the last 12 years doesn't just change completely. I can't take 9 or 10 weeks of a season of good behavior and expect that it will last forever when his history says otherwise.

From all accounts, hes been a hard worker and wants this to work out just as much as anyone, and Brady seems to be giving him the vote of confidence in wanting this to work out...and I doubt he's suddenly lost his athletic abilities from when he was a 800yard receiver last year...I think its stretching to say its the same situation as haynesworth.

I watched him pretty closely last season and even the season before that when he played pretty well. Even in that season you could tell that he lost some of his explosiveness and elusiveness. You're right that Brady keeps saying positive things and that's a good sign and all, but we should have seen more by now. If he is going to stay as a 5th WR, then it's pretty obvious that he wasn't worth rolling the dice on.

lets step back for a second...he had 65yards against the Jets..thats not bad production for someone who is your 5th receiving option on offense....most of us are only hoping and looking at it as a sign that he finally can start to play a larger role in this offense going forward and be productive.....Deion Branch is a good player, but we can definitely use Ocho's differing skillset on the sidelines and in beating man coverage

hopefully he can consistently produce going forward the 2nd half of the year, and if he does I am willing to forgive him for the horrid 1st half...I mean, no one remembers that Gaffney didnt do anything until the playoffs

Gaffney didn't have anywhere near the expectations that Chad has had coming in here this season. Gaffney was just an underachiever that came from the Texans when he got to NE that had a lot to prove just to stay in the league at the time.

I hope that I'll be proven wrong here and that he can get going. I just don't think he is anywhere near the guy that he once was physically.

 

[RIpats88]

i guess well just have to see how it plays out the rest of the season.

im sure he has lost some of his athletic abilities as he is 33years old. but I just dont think we need him to be the Chad Johnson of old...when we have Welker, branch, gronk, hernandez.

we just need him to consistently have productive games like against the Jets and add a new wrinkle to our passing offense. one that had become stale the last few games(before the jets)

 

[Texxx]

i guess well just have to see how it plays out the rest of the season.

im sure he has lost some of his athletic abilities as he is 33years old. but I just dont think we need him to be the Chad Johnson of old...when we have Welker, branch, gronk, hernandez.

we just need him to consistently have productive games like against the Jets and add a new wrinkle to our passing offense. one that had become stale the last few games(before the jets)

My question though is why didn't the Patriots make a strong push to bring in Steve Smith in the off season when he was available if they wanted to upgrade at WR?? There was a pretty nice list at the time that was available and Breaston might have even been a pretty good deep threat for the Pats as well. I know he hasn't played that well in KC, but we all know that Brady makes most guys over achieve. I think Steve Smith would be a freaking animal in this offense, because he can catch the small stuff like Welker and take it up the field, but can also stretch the field for the deep ball and open things up for Welker. SMith is a gamer as well. I really wanted the Patriots to make a move towards his direction. I just didn't understand why CJ was the guy that had chosen when there were a lot of better options in the off season.