Having Ochocinco as a Patriot has been weird. Back in the day (when he was still one of my favorite athletes) the idea of 85 ending up in New England seemed unlikely. Ever since the trade that brought him here and the sportsgasm that followed, being an Ocho fan has been an emotional roller-coaster.
Switching offenses mid career is more difficult than people realize and that adjustment was only made more difficult with a lockout shortened training camp. At first I was patient with Ocho, knowing it would take time to develop that trust with Tom. I defended him against Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, and everyone else who wanted to bash hit right off the bat. Every game I would tell myself "Ok THIS is the game he's going to have an impact." It hasn't happened.
Plenty of fans were clamoring for him to be cut but the reality is that we need him now more than ever. He can swing this Jets game with just a few catches. If he gets his hands on the ball he could force Rex Ryan to over-coach and maybe switch Revis onto him, leaving Welker to prey on some other poor soul.
As frustrating as his 0 for 5 performance was against the Giants, it was at least nice to see that Tom is actively looking for him. And not ONE of those incompletions was his fault entirely, which you couldn't have said earlier in the season.
It's just turning into one of those things. You know, where if you hear people talk about something enough you start to believe it. Of course Ocho and Tom are connecting in practice but right now it has to feel like theres some sort of spell preventing them from doing so in a game. What would I do? First series of the game, hit 85 with a bubble screen. Just something short like that. Similar to when free throws can get a scorer going, hopefully this could be enough of a catalyst. Worked for me in Madden. 19 receptions 324 yards 5 touchdowns sound ok to you?
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