Chad Ochocinco started the year as the most expensive part-time receiver in the league. Five games hasn’t changed that.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that Ochocinco was on the field for 32 of 81 snaps against the Jets.
Ochocinco caught two passes in the game, which ties his season high. He doesn’t have a game over 45 yards. Ocho’s best stat remains his Twitter follower count.
You can slice this any way you want, but the Patriots expected more. Ochocinco will earn $6 million this season. Deion Branch is earning $2.2 million to start, and he’s been more than twice as productive.
Reiss think it’s too early to call the Ocho signing a bust. Tom Curran of CSNNE.com feels differently.
“Chad Ochocinco has to do an exceptional amount to even get himself back to zero because he’s so far in the hole,” Curran said.
The Patriots offense is so loaded it almost doesn’t matter. Ocho is really the team’s fifth receiver behind the two wideouts and the two young tight ends. Ochoinco has almost reached the point that he’s a non-story.
This all reminds me of Randy Moss’ journey to on-field irrelevance last year.