Is Chad Ochocinco on the New England Patriots' Cutting Block?

Who's more of a disappointment for the New England Patriots this preseason, Chad Ochocinco or Albert Haynesworth?

Well, you can go different ways on this one, but Ochocinco has actually been on the field and played in two games but has been almost invisible.

Granted, Ochocinco did have a touchdown reception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but keep in mind, he only had one other reception that game, dropped a few passes and just about every player on New England's roster did something productive in their blowout victory.

The way things are going for Ochocinco, it most certainly would not be a surprise if Bill Belichick cuts ties with Ochocinco before the regular season even starts. 

I realize that this is only preseason, but Ochocinco simply appears to be lost, and he's coming across as being an old receiver that's losing several steps all at once—it's extremely concerning. 

In New England's recent loss last Saturday against the Detroit Lions, Ochocinco was literally a no-show. The former All-Pro wide receiver played a total of 23 of the 42 first team offensive snaps and was targeted four times and finished with zero receptions and a couple of drops.

In fact, one of his drops came on a perfectly-ran route and a perfectly-thrown ball by Brian Hoyer, but it hit Ochocinco square in the hands and couldn't squeeze it. 

All news coming out of Patriots' camp is that Ochocinco is a hard worker and is very determined to get on the same page with his quarterback Tom Brady, but what's going on? Why is it taking so long?

In Brady's weekly appearance on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan, he put himself out there and took the blame as why Ochocinco isn't up to speed in New England's offense:

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"That’s the quarterbacks fault for not getting those guys the ball...I gotta do a better job of getting those guys the football because they are very consistent playmakers for us and I gotta make sure they really are getting the football. That’s the point of playing quarterback, to get the ball to the guys who can do things with it. They’re great players, they’ve been great players for a long time. We’re going to find ways to get those guys the ball."

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It would be nice to see Brady getting the ball to Ochocinco more often, but Brady needs to keep in mind how that worked out with former wide receiver Randy Moss—it simply resulted into Brady forcing balls which often resulted into interceptions or stalled New England drives.

Brady is at his best when he's spreading the ball around, throwing to the open receiver. If Ochocinco isn't open, then it's his own fault—which is hard to believe, as Ochocinco is one of the league's top route runners.

New England's quarterback then went onto emphasize that Ochocinco is working hard to get better every day:

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"He puts (the hours) in, he works hard at it, he’s fun to be around...He’s a guy that really loves football. I think you can tell by his attitude out there that he’s been frustrated that he doesn't feel like he’s been himself because he’s still thinking a lot about what he needs to do rather than reacting. We all do that. We’re all doing that at this time of the year. Coming off a long layoff from football, we’re all probably over-thinking ourselves a little bit instead of going out there and being instinctive rather than reacting."

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As of right now, in Ochocinco's young Patriot career, he has been as useful as Shaun Springs and Monty Beisel were.

What the average fan needs to realize about Ochocinco is that he is not Moss—it's plain and simple. Also, they need to realize that having a big-time wide receiver simply doesn't mean that all Brady needs to do is "throw it up" for him—New England has never won a Super Bowl like that, and quite frankly, I can't think of any team that has won a Super Bowl like that.

Ochocinco, on paper, is perfect for New England's offense. He's a hard worker, a great route runner and is an above-average playmaker. However, there is a legitimate question about his age and his cerebral ability to learn and understand New England's complicated offense. 

There's no reason anyone should be giving any player a free pass, and Ochocinco isn't even close to deserving one.

Ochocinco has done nothing to impress anyone besides showing up to work every day and working to get better.

If things don't start picking up and clicking soon for Ochocinco and Brady soon, then it's almost like he's a wasted roster spot, and the team could possibly move on without No. 85.

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