Giants vs. Patriots: Why Chad Ochocinco Could Be a Factor in This Super Bowl

When the New England Patriots' offense takes the field tonight in Super Bowl XLVI, they will be doing so at less than 100 percent, as star tight end Rob Gronkowski will suit up with a sprained ankle that I'm pretty sure about six billion people in the world know about at this point.

That will not only place a great deal of additional pressure on wide receiver Wes Welker and tight end Aaron Hernandez to carry extra weight in the Patriots' passing game but it also means that one of the other New England pass-catchers may need to step up his game to help compensate for a limited Gronkowski.

Enter, God help us all, Chad Ochocinco.

Ochocinco was a complete non-factor during the 2011 season, catching only 15 passes all year long. In fact, the 11-year veteran wasn't even active for the AFC Championship Game two weeks ago.

However, the somewhat surprising release of wide receiver Tiquan Underwood yesterday would seem to indicate that that will not be the case Sunday night, and Ochocinco will indeed be afforded the opportunity to finally play in the Super Bowl after a career mired in mediocre teams with the Cincinnati Bengals.

I'll freely admit that this is a bit of a longshot, but a wide receiver coming from nowhere to provide a big boost to a Super Bowl winner wouldn't be a first. And, in this writer's opinion, Ochocinco has a better chance of challenging the New York Giants' secondary vertically than fellow wideout Deion Branch, which would open things up more underneath for Welker, Hernandez and the Patriots' ground game.

Besides, who wouldn't like to see an Ochocinco Super Bowl TD celebration (just imagine the possibilities for a second)? Plus, a solid game and Super Bowl ring would provide a fine cap for the career of the man we used to know and love as Chad Johnson, who has racked up more than 11,000 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns over his sterling NFL career.

Maybe this was Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's evil master plan all along: Hide Ochocinco in the doghouse all season, wait for the perfect moment, then Unleasho El Ocho!

Okay, probably not, but a big game in the Super Bowl from No. 85 could be what puts the Patriots over the top and would make for a heckuva story. As a sportswriter, the latter's enough reason for me to pull for one.