Why the New England Patriots Released Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco

Thursday afternoon, the New England Patriots made a huge splash in the NFL world as they announced that they were releasing wide receiver Chad Ochocinco after just one extremely disappointing season with the team. 

According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team was actively shopping Ochocinco for a potential trade but no teams showed any interest, which resulted in the release. 

Ochocinco had a very disappointing 10-month stint with the Patriots. In his first—and only—season with the team, he finished with a pitiful 15 receptions for 276 receiving yards and just one touchdown. 

It was obvious that Ochocinco did not fit with what New England wanted to do offensively, and a lot of that certainly had to do with his inability to understand their complex offense. 

We could all take the easy way out and just continue to beat a dead horse by repeating that "Chad couldn't handle the offense. He never picked up a playbook." But there's more to it than that—he just didn't fit into New England's plan heading into 2012. 

The Patriots have been very busy this offseason, as they were one of the most active teams in reconstructing their wide receiver position. 

The team added wide receivers Brandon Lloyd and Anthony Gonzalez (who was recently released), and they also signed familiar faces in Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth. Throw in Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater and Ochocinco—there simply isn't enough room. 

For Chad, it's just a matter of being the odd man out.

Ochocinco doesn't play special teams, he can't play cornerback like Edelman can and he appears to be an aging player with declining talent; he was ultimately a wasted roster spot. 

We can talk about how Ochocinco did not understand New England's offensive all we want, but it ultimately comes down to the fact that he is now a "has-been," much like Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. 

The Patriots had no use for Ochocinco and opened up a new roster spot that was once occupied by an aging has-been. 

Be sure to check out Tony Santorsa's blog: PatriotsPlus.