Chad Ochocinco predicts a comeback year
"Am having a rebound year and plan to do a lot of celebrating in the end zone."
That would be great for Chad, but will it be in a Patriots uniform? Needless to say, Ochocinco underwhelmed in his first year in New England. Reports were that he could not get a handle on the Patriots complicated offense, and while he still had the talent, he did not know where to go on the field.
This year, the Patriots are stocked at wide receiver. Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Donte Stallworth, Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, Anthony Gonzalez, Jeremy Ebert and Matt Roark are the other players at that position on the roster. That's 11 receivers. Last year, the Patriots had five on the final roster.
You would expect that Welker and Lloyd would be virtual locks to make the team. Assuming Welker doesn't hold out.
Matthew Slater you can also expect to make the squad, as he was the team's special teams captain last year. I would also say Edelman's versatility (defense, offense, punt returner) probably also gets him a roster spot.
So then it's down to Gonzalez, Branch, Gaffney, Stallworth, Ocho and two rookies.
Ochocinco is going to have to really impress the coaches this year if he's going to win out. He's facing off against three players with strong backgrounds in the New England system.
What do you think the Patriots receiever core looks like this year?
