The Chad Ochocinco experiment didn't work in New England, so the ever-friendly wide receiver has taken his talents to south Florida.

Now Ochocinco -- who remains in excellent physical shape -- claims to want to play till he's 40.

Does Ochocinco have the staying power to continue playing at a high level for another six years? (He's 34 now)

A black Smart car pulls up right in front of David's Café and the Miami Dolphins' newest receiver steps out, greets his waitress, his guest, and sets up in his usually spot outside the front door of the South Beach café on Meridian Avenue.

It is humid outside, but Chad Ochocinco doesn't need air conditioning. What he needs is his usual, a chicken and rice dish named after him on the menu, and people to watch.

Minutes into a conversation Ochocinco pulls out his money clip as a homeless woman approaches. He calls her by name, hands her $100 and tells her to bring back $80 change.

She disappears quickly, but shows up 20 minutes later complaining that nobody would change the bill for her. He recommends another store and she walks off again, but eventually comes back with the $100. Ochocinco stops his meal and gets her change himself and gives the woman her daily $20 for food and cigarettes.

Hunter07 wrote: Scoring one against the Pats would make his entire season, ... and the Fins will give it a shot. - If they have a truly simple playbook, - he may have a year or two left. At this point though, - I don't care if he plays 'til he's 70, he's not likely to be much of a threat.

dokgonzo wrote: I hope he gives Rex fits and can redeem himself after last season.

"I have a hard time believing that keeping Ocho from being clownish would cause this 11-year pro-bowl veteran from knowing where the hell to line up when a play is called. I can buy him having indecision after the snap about what he's supposed to do, but how can he not know where to line up? 

Every player who joins the Pats is expected to conform to the Patriots Way, no way they'd make an exception for Ocho. Just no way. I think the mistake BB made was letting his friendship with Ocho get in the way and make the trade in the first place."

"How can he not know where to line-up, though? Wing it or not, that's not a spontaneous act and knowing where to line-up is the same on every team. Listen to the play, you go to that spot there, wait for the snap."

Because it is not just a matter of lining up.  Each Patriots "play" has the potential of multiple possible sub-formations, multiple looks, multiple shifts, and multiple variations.  Brady calls out specific Offensive-Line adjustments on the fly, the Defensive Alignment that he sees (the "mic", "will" "sam", etc.),  play adjustments,  he may even point or motion at a receiver, and everybody is expected to re-adjust and re-sync together, and then run the correct route or block based on both the coverage and Brady's adjustments (which may not always work out, but the percentages say that it should). 

So you need to memorize a Matrix of possible options for each and every play. 

This is very hard for many receivers if they are not really experienced at reading and studying Defenses (and have really put in a whole bunch of the time in the "Film Room").  This is why the majority of Patriots receivers can't "get it" all, and perform it at game speed, and why most just do not work out in their system.  It's just too complex.  But if you're good at reading defenses, and understand the why of it all, then you can catch on quickly (Branch, Welker, Gaffney, Moss, Gronk, etc.)

But that just isn't Chad's game. 
He's a guy who always got by on just his pure physcial and athletic talent, and size (and reach). 

He's an instinct player and that isn't always a bad thing.....but it is not how the Patriots do things.

3rdngoal wrote: Yeah. Being an "instinct" WR when your QB is one of the most cerebral players to ever wear a uniform, is not good. TB can read a coverage, set up his protection and has memorized the 5 recievers route trees and knows which route they will run so if he gets pressure he can throw the ball to a window and the reciever will be there when the ball is.

On top of that he can see the whole field and watch the in route adjustments and know that his guy breaks to the outside if the DB's feet point in or they will sit down if the coverage was well disguised and slips into a zone. Ocho had 1/10th of TB's job and 1/2 of the lumbering TE's jobs and still couldn't do it.

You can't be good at your job if you don't have the brain power to learn your job.