After the New England Patriots released wide receiver Chad Ochocinco earlier this month, it was believed that the veteran never really grasped the offense during his one season with Tom Brady & Co. Ochocinco had just 15 receptions for 276 yards and a touchdown, with just six of those receptions coming during the final 11 weeks of the season.
In his always fantastic Sunday Notes column at The Boston Globe, Greg Bedard reports that upon signing with the Miami Dolphins, Ochocinco admitted that he did not grasp the Patriots' playbook.
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"The guy did all but admit that it was a struggle for him mentally, the playbook, all that stuff," the source told Bedard. "He didn't deny that it was a problem for him, learning it up there."
The Dolphins run the same risk and head coach Joe Philbin acknowledged during last week's minicamp that Ochocinco was behind after missing seven of the nine installation sessions. Still, the addition of Ochocinco is a low-risk, high-reward signing.
Even before he was released by the Patriots, he still had the same speed and explosiveness that made him one of the game's more productive receivers. Early reports from Miami indicate the same.
From a financial perspective, Ochocinco is not guaranteed a nickel until Week 1 of the regular season. If he makes the 53-man roster, Ochocinco will earn the league minimum base salary ($925,000) with an additional $1.075 million available via performance incentives. Bedard notes that Ochocinco will need to catch "a lot of passes" to trigger those incentives. But even if he maxes them out, $2 million for a receiver that catches a lot of passes is a bargain and a price the Dolphins would happily pay.
