It was a matter of "when" not "if."
A man with an ego the size of Chad Ochojohnson's wasn't going to say "my bad" about his godawful 2011 in New England.
Eventually, the trickle of excuses and blame-laying would commence. And it has. In an interview with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Chad (the first name is the constant, so we'll go with that) says, My personality was controlled last year. You didnt hear me at all last year. Zero. Zilch. When my mouth is running, it forces me to perform."
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Quick story: Last year at this time, Chad was supposed to meet with the media for the first time.
But before he came over to the scrum of media, Chad flagged down Bill Belichick. He got up close and started speaking earnestly.
Chad did all the talking. Belichick mostly shrugged and smiled. It was apparent Chad was asking permission to speak to the media. It was also apparent that Belichick had no problem with Chad speaking to the media. All the Patriots wanted was for Chad to play football well.
Chad then met with the New England media for the first time as a Patriot. He opined that Foxboro was "heaven."
Were the Patriots interested in a buttoned-down and businesslike approach? Yes. Was their intention to muffle Chad Ochocinco and turn him into a latter day Barry Sanders? No. Their hope was that he'd just keep it reasonable. The Patriots knew what they'd traded for.
Within a week, though, Chad was already the most butter-fingered receiver in camp and pissed off by questions about his spate of drops.
He had to be treated tenderly. His insistence that the playbook was nearly mastered was met with understanding nods.
But he didn't get much better.
There was an absurd outcry over his Twitter observation that the offense looked good in the opener against Miami, but that wasn't Patriot-sponsored. It emanated from Tedy Bruschi.
Then, after his key drop in Buffalo in Week 3, he never spoke to the local media en masse again.
In other words, the sucking started before the Patriots even bothered to try and stifle him.
And when the team tried to force him the ball against the Giants during the regular season, he wasn't up to it. He had his chances. He did nothing with them.
Now, he says that's because the Patriots didn't want him acting like a clown.
One of the things I like about being here, thats so refreshing, and is such a weight off my back, is I can be me, whatever that entails. When I can be me, I am loose. Everything just flows for me. Whether its the style of play, the way I learn.Asked about his difficulty in learning the Patriots' offense, Chad told Jackson, "The stuff that I do well, I do extremely well. The Pats know what I do well. You put that player in position to make those same plays hes been making his whole career. Its not rocket science."So if the Patriots had built their offense around a 33-year-old wideout who'd never won a playoff game, he'd have had better numbers. Makes sense.
Chad goes on to mention he's still got the physical tools and -- aside from losing a little deep speed -- he seems to still have that burst and short-area quickness. If a team is willing to funnel him the ball and play offense on his terms, Chad will put up numbers. Which will allow him to stay relevant and noteworthy.
And isn't that what it's all about?