Peter King On Former Bengals Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco

by Josh Kirkendall on Feb 13, 2012 11:01 AM EST in Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: Chad Ochocinco #85 of the New England Patriots waits on the field during warmups before the New England Patriots take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Chad is Chad. You either loved him during his time in Cincinnati or you despise him as everything unholy on this Earth. There's no middle ground, sort of like today's political "discussions". Whereas many will point out that Chad provided Cincinnati with more than your daily Bungals joke, parallel with the ambitious overhaul that rookie head coach Marvin Lewis brought at the time, others will gladly point out many of Chad's selfish moments from personal penalties after touchdowns, threatening to sit out if not traded and his rants to Carson Palmer that's caught on national television -- and the reported Royal Rumble with Hue Jackson that never took place.

Yet during his ten-year career with the Bengals, the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson, practically rewrote most of the franchise's receiving records. Such as:

Category	Number	Franchise Rank
Total Receptions (Career)	751	1st
Total Receptions (Season)	97	4th
Total Receptions (Game)	12 (twice)	t-2nd
Yards Receiving (Career)	10,783	1st
Yards Receiving (Season)*	1,440	1st
Yards Receiving (Game)	260	1st
Total Touchdowns (Career)	66	2nd
Total Touchdowns (Game)	3	t-3rd
Receiving Touchdowns (Career)	66	1st
Receiving Touchdowns (Season)	10	t-5th
Receiving Touchdowns (Game)	3	t-1st
Most 100-Yard Receiving Games (Career)	31	1st
Most 100-Yard Receiving Games (Season)	5 (three times)	t-1st
Most Consecutive 100-Yard Receiving Games	3 (twice)	t-2nd
* Chad owns the top five spots in most yards receiving in a single-season.

Cincinnati traded Chad Ochocinco to the New England Patriots last year in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2012 and a sixth-round selection in 2013. Unfortunately Chad's season wasn't the dream season he had hoped it would be. Though he played in the Super Bowl and caught a pass, the Patriots lost; to be fair, that's in no way directly related to him. However Chad only caught 16 passes in 17 games played. Peter King of Sports Illustrated briefs:

Chad Ochocinco's first season in New England is over. He played in 17 games, including the playoffs, and caught 16 passes. And those who waved goodbye to him in Cincinnati and said he would be a poor route-runner and wouldn't fit in with Tom Brady are now saying, "Told you so.''

Even though the Bengals received two mid-to-late round draft selections, one has to believe that Cincinnati's decision to trade Chad wasn't just a good idea, it brought in two more draft selections that could be used to accelerate the team's overall philosophy to build through the draft.

Now we won't argue that the Bengals won this trade like they did over Jacksonville in 2010 that brought Reggie Nelson to town, only because those selections need to be made and those players need to produce first. But at the end of the day the trade was a good one for the Bengals, even if they were for mid-to-late round selections.

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Comments

I got love for Chad, but

I hope Green wrecks all his records!

by TCfromDubVee on Feb 13, 2012 11:11 AM EST reply actions

+1

Looking at Chad now is like looking at an ugly old girl friend…You are just glad that you moved on…and found something better

"Mahmoud, Kim Jong, 86 ya sh__ bitches, or Ima do it fo ya"...Luther...Obama's anger translator

by ticalcaldwell on Feb 13, 2012 11:39 AM EST up reply actions

I still think with an offseasonf or Brady to develop the timing with Chad they'll be great together

by indesignkat on Feb 13, 2012 11:15 AM EST reply actions

Chad broke Tom's confidence

I don’t see Chad in a Patriots uniform next season.

by whodeycommish14 on Feb 13, 2012 1:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Confidence in him*

by whodeycommish14 on Feb 13, 2012 1:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

what, with all the drops he didn't have?

Brady never got a chance to develop confidence in him. I think he’s a Patriot next year and tears it up.

by indesignkat on Feb 13, 2012 1:45 PM EST up reply actions

Chad is done,get over it already

No way Chad comes back at his current salary,A full season of not developing confidence in a guy says,there isnt
no confidence to be gained.The only way i could possibly see Chad having a breakout season with Brady is if,
somehow Chad’s play had nothing to do with his actual play but more of a coach’s decision to make Chad do his time
before he is just anointed a starting position.

"A team is more than a group of individuals,its a group of individuals that come together to make a team"

by keithp on Feb 13, 2012 2:36 PM EST up reply actions

@ 6.5 million for 16 catches

i think the patriots will move on

by Bengalsfan024 on Feb 13, 2012 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

Patriots are extremely schrewd......

which they should be after the above stat. C-ya later Chad!

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 13, 2012 4:54 PM EST up reply actions

What we saw in NE just proves what most of us have been saying.

Chad was a liability.

2011 Year of the Red Rifle
Carson Palmer 2011 Comeback Player of the Year

by Throw the ball on Feb 13, 2012 11:22 AM EST reply actions

I don't know that "most of us" said that, maybe so

Chad has his negatives. The advantage gained of his athleticism and drive was offset by those negatives. I still find he was a positive for this organization. It might be that he wouldn’t have been a positive on other organizations, but the Bengals were a different breed and had PR problems as well as an inability to get the media to do anything more than snort. Chad took that limelight off of the bad stuff and onto a lighthearted character.
He was a good receiver when things were as expected. My biggest issue was watching him and Palmer scream at each other about, I’m guessing, the way the routes were adjusted (or not adjusted). I long wondered whether he was adjusting in the same way that Palmer was. Later I started hearing some ex players whisperings and some analysts flat out stating that Chad couldn’t read the defense and ran poor routes on adjustments.

Go Reds!
(and gooooo krogering)

by supergrover on Feb 13, 2012 11:33 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I agree

I dont think anyone really knows what Chad’s performance really was…We dont know the routes or plays called….Peter King….enough said

"Mahmoud, Kim Jong, 86 ya sh__ bitches, or Ima do it fo ya"...Luther...Obama's anger translator

by ticalcaldwell on Feb 13, 2012 11:38 AM EST up reply actions

We know the complex system Brat ran

where every route had a hot route or 3 depending on how the D was lined up.. Carson would read the D as such and throw the ball to where chad was suppose to be. and more likely than not chad was somewhere else.

by Bengalsfan024 on Feb 13, 2012 1:54 PM EST up reply actions

I don't know

What Chad can or cannot do anymore. I saw Brady throw for 5000 yards last season and Chad had 250 of those. Something doesn’t add up.
At Chad;s age the “upside” has come and gone. It’s downhill from here. If downhill or even flat lining is the best you can really expect from him. He just isn’t worth the chance again.
By his own account, Chad admitted having trouble learning the offense. What makes anyone think learning Gruden’s offense would be any better?
I enjoyed Chad’s time here but off-the- field things seemed to be much more important to him than on-the field his last couple years

"Next season will be better" circa 1990

by Yarin on Feb 13, 2012 2:07 PM EST up reply actions

+1

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

Lol, you don’t break a franchise all time records by running poor routes or can’t read defense. That was Chad best known quality ROUTE RUNNING… U guys are funny acting, couple months ago King was all type names and didn’t know football. Now since he’s fussing Chad he knows what he’s talking bout. Peter King ain’t watched 10 Bengal games in last 15yrs.

by pray4gm11 on Feb 13, 2012 12:01 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

you see anyone in here loving on peter king?

chad and carson fought at times. this isn’t a made up fairy tale. it happened. you could watch it. they would occasionally get on each other. nothing wrong with that. people that have to work closely together sometimes do that, its only normal. qbs and wrs throughout the NFL get on each other for broken plays.

considering some of the former pat players broken down chad’s busted routes early in the season for the pats. its probably not going out on a limb saying chad occasionally breaks the wrong way on a route.

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 12:07 PM EST up reply actions

Tlcaldwell I was talking too read his comments. Peter King nuff said…

by pray4gm11 on Feb 13, 2012 12:12 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Brady 5000 yards passing. Chad 250 yards receiving. Something wasn’t right.

"Next season will be better" circa 1990

by Yarin on Feb 13, 2012 2:09 PM EST up reply actions

Quality route running is correct

A liability when it comes to reading what his route was supposed to be on any given play.
What happened to Moss without Brady?
What happened to Welker,Gronk,with Brady?
What happened to Branch with and without Brady?

Hero to zero

"A team is more than a group of individuals,its a group of individuals that come together to make a team"

by keithp on Feb 13, 2012 2:41 PM EST up reply actions

If Chad still was an elite receiver

he would have been a factor in the SB. The Giants didn’t worry about anybody going deep on them and burning man coverage.

by BENGALS69 on Feb 13, 2012 11:50 AM EST reply actions

but chad has balerina feet

by Bengalsfan024 on Feb 13, 2012 1:54 PM EST up reply actions

Dont Agree

Chad would’ve been a huge player on our team this year. Chad could’ve put up big numbers for us in the new offense. Not saying dominate but Chad is 10x better than Simpson/Caldwell. If nothing else Chad would’ve demanded double team out of respect, so Green/Gresham a get one on one match ups. And for all that wanted Chad gone don’t forget his replacement got busted with pot. So in all reality that was bad trade on our part.

by pray4gm11 on Feb 13, 2012 11:53 AM EST via mobile reply actions

I disagree

The Bengals needed to part ways with him for the moral of the team. His presence alone could have been detrimental to Green and Dalton. Also, it gave the Bengals a long look at Simpson to see what they have. I have respect for Chad,it was his time to go

by EPK1979 on Feb 13, 2012 12:03 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Team chemistry matters. Nothing would have been more damaging to Green and Dalton than Chad in their faces about not getting the ball enough. Chad Johnson was a great player and fun. Ochocinco was a different monster. A selfish player who forgot the intangible work needed to succeed. And the buying tickets thing was sponsors working with him as a spokesperson. A lot of good can be said of course but he proved at the end that Chad cared about the side show and Chad himself more than the team.

by Jcon77 on Feb 13, 2012 12:05 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

EVERY GREAT players want ball in there hands. Yes I do believe he started getting frustrated with Palmer and Brat. We ran same predictable offense for 10yrs. Blame should be more on Palmer/Brat than Chad. And getting the ball to chad wouldn’t been problem. Simpson had close to at least 90 balls come his way. It would’ve been fun and we needed vet to work with Green/Shipley.

by pray4gm11 on Feb 13, 2012 12:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

This is like saying rain isn't wet.

He played with one of the best QB’s in modern history. He played for one of the best head coaches ever and yet he caught less than 20 balls all season long. He showed nothing when he played.

Chad will be lucky if he’s in the league next season.

by BENGALS69 on Feb 13, 2012 2:20 PM EST up reply actions

And Chad always filled stadium. If it wasn’t a sell out he used to buy tickets. Best player to play for Bengals in last 20yrs. NOTHING but good things should be ever said bout this man.

by pray4gm11 on Feb 13, 2012 11:56 AM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

Wishful thinking

There is at least 5 better player’s in the last 20 years
And there are 40-50 better player’s on this team right now

Hasbeen,washed up,was a leader,now a cheerleader,2cd most selfish player to ever play for this organization number 1 being
Odell Thurman

Chad is so much easier to root for now that he is in NE,and will go down as one a Bengal great,but Chad is a very long way from
ever getting the respect from this fan base,that you say he deserves

"A team is more than a group of individuals,its a group of individuals that come together to make a team"

by keithp on Feb 13, 2012 5:36 PM EST up reply actions

Where is this Peter King article?

Can I see the link?

by sgiridharan1982 on Feb 13, 2012 12:00 PM EST reply actions

page 3 midway down. mmqb for this week

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/02/12/eli/2.html

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 12:28 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks!

by sgiridharan1982 on Feb 13, 2012 12:35 PM EST up reply actions

Randy Moss

Is said to be unretiring. He will be the Bengals next “big time” FA. Bring him and Chad back together, probably get them on the cheap. The dynamic duo, Batman and Robin (part deux). Bring back those good times in Cincinnati. Hell yeah!! We need more of those 10 game losing streaks to keep some of the forum members happy.
Hell, i will take TO over Chad any day of the week. He atleast showed up in a few games last season.

"Next season will be better" circa 1990

by Yarin on Feb 13, 2012 12:53 PM EST reply actions

Better yet!

Trade away AJ Green and Bring in TO, Chad and Randy Moss. Now that would be awesome.

"Next season will be better" circa 1990

by Yarin on Feb 13, 2012 12:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Chad just lacks discipline

Always has – personally and professionally

That symbolizd the Bengals – some talent but could not keep it together. Hopefully that page has turned.

Marvin inherited Chad after his rookie year then Carson came on board – we’ll see if Marvin can control this team now. Better chance w/Daltona and Green

by TX Bengal on Feb 13, 2012 1:04 PM EST reply actions

Agree 100%......

we had all the talent after sweeping the division in ’09, then followed it up by laying an egg. Then we get rid of Chad, TO and Palmer and we make the playoffs with a bunch of young guys. Not all Chad, but a combination of malcontents and lack of leadership that ended up being addition by subtraction.

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 13, 2012 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

Let's move on...

They say you shouldn’t say anything about the “gone” unless you can say something good – “He’s gone – GOOD!”
I don;t get the relavence of any discussion about Chad in Cincy…

I represent the Bengals of Cincinnati with extreme passion and prejudice and make no apologies for it!