Chad Ocho Cinco's Role

With the news of Albert Haynesworth being released from the New England Patriots today, the attention has naturally turned to their other big acquisition, Chad Ocho Cinco. Already, pundits have begun wondering as to when he will be released. However, despite Ocho Cinco’s lack of production on the field, and his supposed inability to grasp the playbook, neither Bill Belichick nor Tom Brady appear to be overly concerned. Why would that be?

Perhaps the biggest clue to the solution would be to take a look at how the roster, and subsequently, the offense, is constructed. As had been previously mentioned on the blog, Ocho Cinco is presently nothing more than the fifth receiving option at best. In fact, the argument could be made that both Danny Woodhead, and, if healthy, Kevin Faulk would be ahead of Ocho Cinco on the pass catching hierarchy. On the surface, this would make Ocho Cinco quite the luxury item.

All of this masks the probable reason for Ocho Cinco’s continued presence on this roster. Bill Belichick is known for his tendency to acquire the next piece of the puzzle, ready to slot into a starting role, even if the starter has a year or more to go before being a free agent. In Wes Welker and Deion Branch, the Patriots have two starting receivers that happen to be in the final year of their contracts. The Patriots may have Welker’s replacement with Julian Edelman. But do they have Deion Branch’s?

Now, look at the fact that Ocho Cinco signed a three year contract this offseason. Belichick knows how this offense is constructed, and had to know that Ocho Cinco would not get many opportunities this season. What that essentially adds up to is to make the 2011 season a red shirt year for Ocho Cinco. He has no pressure to perform, can work on learning the playbook, and can develop chemistry with Tom Brady. This is a move that would provide the Patriots with a player for the 2012 season who can step right in and pick up where Branch left off.

In the end, Chad Ocho Cinco was not about this season. Bill Belichick signed him for 2012 and 2013, when he will be needed to step in for Deion Branch. And that is a pretty shrewd move.

The Time Is Now

There are no more excuses for Chad Ocho Cinco. No longer can it be said that he’s going through an adjustment period. If he is going to perform at all for the Patriots, it will happen next week, or it will not happen at all.

Let’s put aside the sarcasm for a moment. Stop with the Ocho Stinko and the NoCatchO jokes. It’s time to face facts. First, Ocho Cinco did not have a full offseason to learn the playbook, the routes, and to get extra tutelage from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. His offseason began at training camp; his first six weeks were his preseason. Quite simply, he had not had the time to adjust from being on the Bengals to coming to a perennial playoff team like the Patriots.

Also, expectations of what Ocho Cinco can be for the Patriots have to be tempered. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are major targets in the passing game. Wes Welker is the third down possession guy. Deion Branch is Brady’s favorite receiver, and always has been. So, in all seriousness, Ocho Cinco is, at best, the fifth target in the passing game. How many receptions can he realistically be expected to get?
However, the bye week has come at a fortunate time for Ocho Cinco. He has obviously gotten frustrated with his lack of performance. All he really wants is to be a contributing member of a championship caliber team, which he had never had the opportunity to be a part of.

Come Week 8 in the NFL? The excuses end. Either Ocho Cinco gets it, or he doesn’t. He has had his opportunity, and he must now seize it. If he doesn’t? Well, he will be nothing more than an afterthought, a forgotten man on a deep team that looks like it’s going to have a deep playoff run. And for Ocho Cinco, to be forgotten is worse than not being productive.

The time is now for Ocho Cinco, or it will never come.

Eli Manning's Delusions of Grandeur

Allow us for a moment to take a look at one Tom Brady. We have before us a quarterback that has won three Super Bowls, is considered an all-time great at his position, and is a top five quarterback for the history of the NFL. Brady understands an offense, manages to avoid making mistakes with the football, and does not get completely flummoxed when things around him are not going perfectly.

Matching up with Brady, there is Peyton Manning. Peyton has won a Super Bowl himself, is on pace to shatter the passing records held by one Wrangler jeans wearing gunslinger from Mississippi, and is essentially an offensive coordinator in the guise of a football player. Another top five quarterback of all time, and one of the few players in football history that can be considered on par with Brady.

Then there is Peyton's brother Eli. Eli, who constantly throws terrible passes into double or triple coverage with the consistency of one gunslinger, only without the arm strength or receiving help. Eli, who is easily confused and flustered when a defense attacks him. Eli, who has made one Pro Bowl in his seven year career. Eli, who according to footballreference.com, compares best to David Garrard and Jake Delhomme for his career.

So, which of the Mannings would think they are in the same class as Tom Brady?

If you guessed Peyton, you would be wrong. That's right, ol' Eli thinks he is a top notch quarterback and in the same class as Tom Brady. Well, some news for you Eli. Brady is top five all-time. You're not even top ten in the NFL presently. When the game is on the line, aside for that one ridiculous helmet catch made by David Tyree (his last NFL reception, incidentally), no one is going to pick you over Brady.

Let's compare careers. Brady has a total of 103 interceptions over ten years. Eli has 113 in six years. Brady averages passing for 239.6 yards per game, Eli 215.7. Brady's quarterback rating is 95.2 - fifth best in NFL history and fourth amongst current players. Eli is at 80.2 for a rating, which is 57th all time, and 23rd amongst current players. In fact, Eli ranks below such players as Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, and Matt Cassel in quarterback rating amongst active players. Brady completes 63.6% of his passes, Eli 58%. Brady is a six time Pro-Bowler, two time MVP, two time Super Bowl MVP, and a two time first team All-Pro. Eli has that one Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP. That's it.

If this was high school, Brady would be in the advanced placement courses, and looking to get into a prestigious university with a full scholarship. Eli would be barely passing, and looking to either join the workforce or struggle at a community college. Same class? No chance.

Where did these delusions of grandeur come from? Did the glue from the fake mustache he wore in his most recent advertisement create fumes that gave him hallucinations? Has he been hit in the head a few too many times? Did Peyton give him one of those 'Priceless Pep Talks'? Is being adequate really enough to make him think that he's actually a competent quarterback?

The only way Eli Manning is in the same class as Tom Brady is in his dreams. Someone should wake him up and bring him to reality.

Replacing Franchise Quarterbacks

In this era of the NFL, having a franchise quarterback is of the utmost importance. Teams such as the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts compete year in and year out, due in large part to their quarterbacks. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning were to miss an extended period of time, their prospects would be rather grim. Yet, both quarterbacks are approaching their mid-30's, bringing it close to the point where their teams will need to look at finding their replacements.

Bringing in the heir apparent at quarterback can be a tricky proposition. In San Fransisco, when the 49ers brought in Steve Young, it lit a fire under Joe Montana to prove he was still great. While he helped develop Young, facing his football mortality in the face pushed him to continue to elevate his game. Montana had four more great seasons, and a couple of solid years in Kansas City after leaving the 49ers. In Green Bay, Brett Favre refused to help develop Aaron Rodgers, and continued to be Brett Favre - throwing ill-advised passes into double and triple coverage, yet being bailed out by his receivers and somehow avoiding any criticism by members of the media. Finally, the Packers tired of Favre's "it's all about me" attitude and on-again, off-again retirements, handing the reins to Rodgers. In both cases, this plan worked out, as both teams won Super Bowls with the new quarterbacks.

The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, did not draft the next quarterback when it was obvious that Dan Marino had barely anything left. Since Marino's retirement at the end of the 1999 season, the Dolphins have used 16 different quarterbacks. Meanwhile, they have only drafted four quarterbacks (Josh Heupel, John Beck, Pat White, and Chad Henne). Needless to say, they have only won one playoff game since Marino's retirement, and that win was in 2000.

With such history being there, should the Patriots and Colts look to draft their future quarterbacks this year? This year may not have a guaranteed great quarterback, but there are a lot of solid options available in the draft, especially in the middle rounds. Pat Devlin of Delaware, Ricky Stanzi of Iowa, and T.J. Yates of North Carolina would make solid options for the Patriots and Colts anywhere from the third round on. Of course, the Patriots may feel that they have their future in Brian Hoyer, who has looked decent in his limited opportunities thus far.

Given the intellect of the Colts and Patriots, expect them to handle the quarterback position, and the future of the position, with the same skill in which they have built their rosters. This will not be a Miami Dolphins situation for them.

Revisiting Tom Brady

Given the expections that began to creep around Foxborough through November and December, this season is being considered squandered in the minds of Patriots fans. However, at the start of this season, if Patriots fans had been told that their team would go 14-2, even they would have considered that person insane. Of the 53 man roster, 45 players had two or fewer years of experience. Major questions surrounded the offensive line with the hold out of Logan Mankins, the defense with the infusion of youth, and even the coach. Had the game passed Belichick bye? Did he lose the team last season? Can he still find those players late in the draft that he had before?

These questions were answered by an offense that, even with the mid-season trade of Randy Moss, managed to lead the league in scoring. The defense managed to come into it's own towards the end of the year, with a potential emerging superstar in Devin McCourty. Indeed, the future in Foxborough is bright.

However, back when the Patriots were winning championships (in those helicon years of 2001, 2003 and 2004), they were lead by a defense that was the strength of the team. Brady was, for lack of a better term, more of a game manager in those years. And yet, the formula worked: build a lead or keep it close, and let Brady win the game in the end. Being able to rely upon an impressive defense, a solid running game, and a quarterback that did not make mistakes will lead to wins, and, in this case, championships.

However, things changed in 2007. Perhaps this was due to the postseason failures of 2006. Perhaps this was due to Spygate. Perhaps it was due to a major infusion of talent on the offensive side of the football in Moss and Wes Welker. Perhaps it was a combination of the three. Yet, for whatever reason, Brady was asked to become more than a game manager - he was asked to fire the ball downfield with regularity as the Patriots rode his arm to the Super Bowl in 2007.

Since then, Brady has proven to be a great quarterback, and in the discussion of the top five of all-time. However, is it possible that the Patriots have been asking too much from him? Over his career, he has achieved his greatest success with play action. Until this past season (mainly when Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis became the starting running back and Moss was traded) teams did not have to fear the run. In fact, New England typically used a short passing game with Welker to simulate a running attack.

However, with this approach, there are problems. First, an incomplete pass stops the clock, so it provides more time for the opposition to be able to score. Second, it makes the team one dimensional, which allows defenses to key on one thing and attack. This was proven in the Super Bowl against the Giants, where the Giants defensive line was in pass rush mode exclusively the entire game. For Brady to be at his optimal level, there needs to be balance on the offense. This also helps the defense to rest during the drive, as drives would take more time off the clock, even if they do not result in scores.

New England needs to revisit the formula that worked for them before - a stellar defense and a balanced offense. It appears that they are getting there, and 2011 may end up being a championship season. But Brady should not be expected to do it on his own.