Chad Ochocinco: Burning Issues Facing the New England Patriots and Their New WR

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots go about their business a bit differently than Chad Ochocinco is used to from his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

But when you go to "Heaven" you have to give up the devil on your shoulder. Thus far, Ochocinco is doing an incredible job of that, and has quieted his Twitter account as of late. His 2,516,216 followers may be a little disappointed. The receiver is doing the right thing, though, and should be lauded for his efforts to fit the mold.

That's not the only burning issue facing the prolific wide receiver. Let's take a closer look at some of the issues facing Ochocinco.

Learning the System

Ochocinco is learning a brand new offense, and he alluded to some of the challenges he faces in his post-practice interview. He's leaning on Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Tom Brady and the coaches to help him get up to speed quickly.

"They’ve probably made it the easiest, with so much verbiage and as far as signaling and other things, the offense, it’s hard for me to get. Wes and Deion have somewhat been able to catch me up to speed. I think with those two, including Tom, they’ve sped up the process to where I think even with the game being played very soon, I could probably go out there and play at full speed without having to think.” 

He touched on the differences between New England's offensive system and the one he played in for a decade in Cincinnati, saying, "I come from a number system and everything else here is different." 

Drops

Yes, Ochocinco is considered a sure-handed receiver. Thus, many might be worried by his high number of drops early in camp. Ochocinco, however, is not.

"I’m human, right? All of us are human. Balls are going to be dropped. It’s part of the game." 

Hopefully it doesn't become a part of the regular season. Ochocinco seems confident that those will clear themselves up by that time.

Twitter Followers

Ochocinco was asked about his Twitter followers being upset over his new hush-hush lifestyle since joining the Patriots.

"A lot of people are upset, and we all know why." When asked why exactly, Ochocinco simply shook his head, and said, "I'm not going to get into that, but I have to do it the Patriot way. The way things are always done here."

"One thing about this city and their sports, all they do is win, so that stuff that I did in the past, there's no need for it."

When asked if he thought he could win and still be himself, Ochocinco didn't respond.

Fans

This isn't to say that Ochocinco is displeased with the fans of New England. Quite the contrary, he is actually looking to live with a fan for his first few weeks in Foxborough.

"I'm actually going to stay with a fan the first two, three weeks of the season. That should be fun, until I get myself acclimated and learn my way around."

People have seen him driving around in his signature Toyota Prius, and Ochocinco was asked about the fans' reaction to that.

"People have been fun, a lot of people aren't too fond of the Prius that I drive, and I find that hard to believe. I'm not sure what that's all about, but other than that people have been great." 

The fans' reaction to his recent appearance at a Red Sox game was positive, but somewhat overwhelming. 

"I got to meet a couple of fans at the Red Sox game. I wasn't able to please everybody, because I'd have to talk to the entire stadium, but it's cool."