I've got to give this one to Brdmaverick. Haters gonna hate, and a lot of people are taking great pleasure in bashing "Ochostinko". Some of them had ridiculously high expectations for what he would do coming into a brand new system that was very different than what he was used to:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/781924-realistic-stat-expectations-chad-ochocinco-haynesworth.html
"Realistic expectations" my *ss. People over-hyped Ochocinco, then over-bashed him when he didn't meet their expectations. That's SOP for this board.
Mayo, I respect your opinion as much as anyone's on this board, but we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one.
I was never a fan of the Ocho experience and maybe I just don't "get" him. BB does though, and apparently has liked Chad for a long time, and coughed up two valuable draft picks when the opportunity came to acquire him.
Now regardless of my previous feelings about Chad, once he began wearing "the laundry" I wanted him to succeed. I would celebrate the positive developments, and hope that the negative reports were just growing pains that would be overcome. I feel this way about any player wearing the laundry; I was even hopeful that Chad would get it together for the SB when he was really needed, and justify the whole experiment on one huge grand stage, with the whole world watching.
But I paid attention to the missteps, I cringed when I read that Edelman had to tell Chad where to line up.
I cringed when a huge play by Gronk was called back because Chad lined up wrong.
I cringed when Chad dropped a long TD pass that would have put the Pats ahead in the loss to Buffalo.
I cringed whenever I saw Chad break left while Brady threw right.
And I cringed, when after having a year in the system, in the first OTA, Chad has to, once again, be told where to line up.
I'm sorry people, but the emperor is butt naked, and I can't believe how many still think he is stylishly dressed.
Chad cost the Pats a #5 and a #6 pick, and if you consider that Taylor Price (regardless of what your opinions on his future may be), was cut when a roster spot was desperately needed, then he coast a #3 as well.
I freely reiterate that I have NEVER been an Ochocinco fan, but my love of the laundry overrules all, and I just don't see what evidence there is to think, based on his past performance in NE, that he will suddenly have the light go on.
I am certainly NOT rooting for Chad to fail, just as I would never root for a draft choice to fail so that I could gleefully point out that I was right and BB was wrong. These players are valuable assets, and are in limited supply.
I am not happy when a player fails, or when a player is cut because the Pats already have a glut of good players at his position.
I wouldn't dream of trying to speak for anyone else, but as for me, I have seen all I want to from the Ochocinco experiment, and am ready to move on from him.
If it turns out that there are aspects that I am not seeing, and he does turn it around and becomes a producer for the Pats, then I will lead the charge to admit I was wrong and celebrate his accomplishments; but that isn't the way the smart money should be bet right now.