Why Chad Ochocinco Is a Waste of a New England Patriots Roster Spot

Is it time to give up on Chad Ochocinco? I'm being serious—I have yet to be impressed with No. 85 during his short tenure with the Patriots. 

Throughout the first three games of the season, Ochocinco has been a non-factor in New England's high-powered offensive attack, as he's only reeled in five passes for 87 yards—he should be putting up those kind of numbers each and every game. 

Ochocinco was almost not involved against the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers, but was given plenty of chances to succeed this past weekend against the Buffalo Bills, yet failed tremendously. In fact, Ochocinco fell right on his face, as he dropped a critical pass deep in Buffalo's territory that would have resulted in a New England touchdown. 

No. 85 played in a total of 60 of New England's 75 offensive snaps; however, he walked away with only two receptions for 28 yards. 

Entering Week 3, Ochocinco had played a total of 35 snaps the entire season and saw almost double the playing time this past Sunday.

Ochocinco may be struggling, but it's not bothering Tom Brady one bit, as he spoke with ESPN Boston and reassured that Ochocinco "wants to do the right thing" and has been spending a lot of "time after practice trying to get it right."

Like Brady, New England's offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien continued to keep it positive with Ochocinco as he spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon: 

"

"Chad, just like everybody else in that game—me included—would probably wish to have a couple of plays back. 

At the same time, here is a guy and a bunch of guys—coaches included again—that are working hard to correct those mistakes and really focusing on Oakland and trying to get better at the things we all need to get better at, because every week is a challenge. We’ve moved on from Buffalo; we’re focused on Oakland." 

"

New England will certainly have their hands full next Sunday as they make a long-trip to Oakland to face off against the Raiders' elite rushing attack led by Darren McFadden. 

The Patriots are definitely going to have to score points in order to make up for their below average defense, which means Ochocinco needs to up his game immediately, or he's simply just a wasted roster spot. 

For more articles like this, check out PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow   Tony  Santorsa on Twitter..