Chad Ochocinco (USPresswire)
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You heard the fallout -- or maybe you didn't because you were stuck under a rock -- former Patriot great Tedy Bruschi doesn't like the way Chad Ochocinco is in awe of the team's offense. After being blasted in a radio appearance by Bruschi, Ocho had his quarterback stand up for him. One thing is certain, Ocho's still the center of attention, even when he's trying not to be.
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WR Chad Ochocinco, ripped by Tedy Bruschi for his "awe factor" and told
to study the playbook more, was defended by QB Tom Brady.
After catching just one pass for 14 of Brady's 517
passing yards in the win over Miami last week, Ochocinco tweeted he was
blown away by the Patriots' video-game styled offense in person, adding
"WOW."
Bruschi went on a rant on Boston radio station
WEEI, saying Ochocinco should "drop the awe factor ... stop tweeting
and get in the playbook more."
Brady defended his new teammate and pointed out
Ochocinco's work ethic had been strong since the former Bengal arrived
in New England.
"From the day that he's got here he's worked
really hard to be a part of this offense and be involved, so I don't
know when he said that or what he said, but I know that we're counting
on him to be a huge contributor, and he expects that, too," Brady said.
"He expects to be out there making plays. When I'm
out there in the huddle with him he's very excited about being out
there and making catches and doing the right thing and being in the
right spot. He's definitely done that over the course of training camp,
so anyone that's been at training camp knows that he's been a part of
what we're trying to do since the day we got him."
Patriots Insider Take: Jon Scott @JScottNFL
Ochocinco hasn't had a chance to get "on the same page" as Tom Brady
yet compared to the other weapons Brady has on
offense. Bruschi was justified in letting Ocho know
that spending time taking fans to dinner, doing reality TV
shows, or streaming his own Q&A via twitter isn't
helping him improve his game in New England, but Bruschi is forgetting
one thing: Ocho has made huge strides from where he was.
Ochocinco -- just the name makes it hard to take him seriously -- has
had a very successful career over his last 10 years in the
league. It is well documented how Ocho likes to have a good
time, but it is also apparent to anyone who's followed his career, that
he's matured. Just listening to him, you can see he realizes
that New England may be his last, best chance to be part of something
special.
I wouldn't expect Ocho to stop tweeting, or interacting with fans, nor
should he, that's what makes him so endearing to the masses -- he's a
breath of fresh air. But I would expect Ocho to tone down his
public interaction, knowing full well that he has past and present hall
of famers who expect more out of him on the field than just one catch
for 14 yards. Looking back at the Miami tape,
Ocho's opportunities were few and far between. He did have a
costly penalty which wiped out a big gain for Rob Gronkowski, but Ocho
certainly heard about that in team meetings -- something Bruschi
obviously must be aware of.
You can't fault Bruschi for taking Ocho to task based on No 85's
history of not taking things seriously. But you also can't fault Ocho
for being amazed at being on the field during Brady's historic aerial
display on Monday Night. After all, Ocho's future was pretty dim had he
remained in Cincinnati with Carson Palmer threatening to retire rather
than play for the team another season.
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