Bill Belichick is one confident man, and the New England Patriots are one confident franchise. Earlier today, they bet (well, they only bet a fifth-round pick, but still, they bet) that they could keep Albert Haynesworth in line. If they can, the payoff will be big. And hours later, the franchise outdid itself, trading away another (as yet unknown) draft pick for one Chad Ochocinco.
Ochocinco accepted a restructured three-year contract to make the deal work, perhaps the first sign that he’s willing to make sacrifices to play in a winning environment. Another is what is presumably his reaction to the deal.
Still, even for the Patriots and their hard-to-argue record of consistent winning, this is a lot of risk (though to be fair to Ochocinco, he’s far from Haynesworth’s behavioral equivalent), and to take it all on in one day is…well, if our heads are spinning a little bit, how are the Patriots feeling?
That’s not to say it can’t work out: Ochocinco is 33 and will be 34 early next year, but he still has the potential to be productive. He caught 67 passes for 831 yards last year, and topped 1,000 yards in 2009. And of course, Belichick has a good track record in getting potential-distraction-causing receivers to play nice (for a while, at least). The guess here is he’ll be able to do the same with Ochocinco, especially since he seems so happy to be on board. The jury’s out on Haynesworth, but for three potential years of productivity and help for Tom Brady, Ochocinco’s worth the risk – and whatever draft pick the Pats surrendered. And seriously, going to a team called the Patriots? Glenn Beck approves, friends. Glenn Beck approves.
Photo via Getty (Andy Lyons)