Ochocinco and the Hood

With Chad Johnson (or is it Ochocinco, I’ve lost track) apparently heading to New England, you can’t help but wonder if we’re ever going to hear from him again. I don’t mean in terms of on the field because I’m sure he’ll have a measurable impact playing for that team, in particular playing with Tom Brady. What I mean is: will we ever actually hear him speak again? It’s difficult to imagine him dominating a pre or post game conference playing within the always-electric atmosphere Bill Belichik has fostered. The Hood doesn’t exactly encourage players to express themselves. It’s a wonder that players even open their mouths. More than once I’ve heard journalists describe the look of fear on a player’s face realizing that Belichik was approaching as they were offering more than the usual clichés the coach is so proficient at providing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Belichik actually hands out a booklet to the players containing every worn out phrase or term for them to use when being interviewed.

I’m thinking we’re not going to be seeing number 85 wearing any over-sized jackets on the sidelines unless he picks up Nick Kaczur’s by mistake. River dance? How about hand-the-ball-to-the-official-dance. No Sombreros, no marriage proposals, nothing. Ochocinco can’t help but be better than ever for 2 reasons. No 1: He’s playing with a better quarterback than he ever has before, and No 2: He’ll have more time to work exclusively on his game because he won’t be using any time or energy thinking about touchdown celebrations. Ochocinco: never to be tweeted from again.

This season the Patriots and Ochocinco should be very interesting as long as you’re just interested in what happens on the field. If you’re waiting for all the off-field shenanigans it’s going to be a long, long wait.