New England Patriots: Chad Ochocinco Will Be a Tom Brady and Fan Favorite

Chad Ochocinco may not be the most desirable when it comes to keeping a low profile as the New England Patriots attempt to do. However, he is right on time in their receiving corps. Wes Welker may have carried a hefty majority of the load but Ochocinco is going to answer a lot of New England fans’ prayers.

Tom Brady has a cannon for an arm and had probably the best season we have ever seen him have, besides falling short of a Super Bowl berth. The Patriots were virtually unstoppable and while fans were praising the strides they made individually and collectively, Bill Belichick and company were attempting to figure out how exactly they could improve upon an already well-oiled machine.

With arguably the best quarterback in the league, the squad was ranked only 11th in the league for passing yards per.

A big move in that direction was signing Ochocinco. As he prepares to shape his game to whatever is necessary for the Patriots to succeed there are several reasons why he will be the franchise and fans’ favorite receiver.

Ochocinco has likability factor

I was watching an episode of Basketball Wives on Monday. Yes, there are times when I indulge in mind-numbing "reality" behavior. He was having an argument with his reported fiancée and all of a sudden they were both bursting with laughter.

The argument had not been worthy of a second glance in the first place, but his ability to diffuse the raw emotion of a woman said something about his personable nature.

Another display of how in touch Chad is with making people feel comfortable in his presence is his willingness to live with a fan for the first few weeks of his first season as a Patriot. Learning the ways of the road and the general area have not come too easy to him, so he is using this as an experience to assist himself as well as connect with a new fan base.

A far cry from the loud, flamboyant Ocho used to be, he still carries the same wit and charm alongside him as he did in his last days with Cincinnati.

Chad will be the only receiver with 900-plus yards

Wes Welker is good for what he does with the Patriots. His 848 receiving yards last season may have had a little to do with Randy Moss’ participation with New England and slipping to second best as Brady’s favorite target. Welker will once again have to feel the wrath of Brady’s favoritism as Ochocinco falls into place with the play calls and his style becomes more conducive to the wellbeing of the organization.

Chad is undoubtedly a fierce competitor at the top receiving position within New England’s rankings and Brady will find no reason to make him anything less. Bill Belichick went out to get the receiver for a reason. At some of the greatest speeds he has ever been even after ten years in the league gives him an edge over any of the other receivers such as Welker or Deion Branch.

Belichick would not take that huge of a risk recruiting a top notch receiver who is used to being a primary target if he was not going to use him as a big part in their plans for the 2011 season.

Sidebar: If Chad could receive for 800-plus yards alongside Terrell Owens, he could add another 200 yards onto his total beside Patriots receivers.

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