Bruschi Attacks Ochocinco

Tedy Bruschi and now Rodney Harrison, both retired Patriots turned media members, have criticized Chad Ochocinco for his tweeting and lack of impressive play. The particular tweet in question is this:

"Just waking up after a late arrival,I've never seen a machine operate like that n person,to see video game numbers put up n person was WOW"

Which seems fairly innocent. Bruschi and Harrison are criticizing Ochocinco for being amazed by what the Patriots did Monday night. And I'm kind of with them on that. Brady wasn't amazed, nor was Gronkowski surprised or Branch bewildered. Did Belichick look like he didn't expect the Pats to score so much?

To be fair to Ochocinco, he's been on the Bengals' sidelines for a decade. The whole notion of prepare, then execute, then win is something foreign to him. He seems to be in a state of shock, he's struggled to learn the playbook, and he also might be afraid of making a mistake, and slowing down this mesmerizing machine.

He's had trouble with the preparation part, but I don't think Twitter is the problem. And if effort is the problem, isn't that up to Coach Belichick to enforce?

I love Bruschi and Harrison, but if a member of the media attacked one of their teammates when they were on this team, they'd rally around him and dismiss everything as an internal Patriots matter. Which it is. If Twitter's a problem, then let Belichick handle it. If Ochocinco isn't putting the effort in, let Belichick handle it.

Belichick is the coach, Ochocinco is the player, Bruschi and Harrison are the external entities now. Some of us expected Ochocinco to be amazing here, and that hasn't been the case. His on-the-field performance of 14 yards and 1 reception wasn't dazzling, but it didn't exactly hurt the offense either. Belichick will find a way to utilize Ochocinco. Bruschi is entitled to his opinion, but he's not the coach, he's on the outside.

One thing I do like is that none of the Patriots have given much of a response to this. And neither has Ochocinco.

ONE MORE YEAR FOR BRUSCHI

Tedy Bruschi will be back for his 13th season. He and the Patriots agreed to terms on a multi-year contract that will keep #54 in Foxborough and the NFL for another season.

This is good news, but not great news. Bruschi turns 35 in June, and although he led the team in tackles with 99 last year, he is no longer the playmaker he used to be. Back in the day (4 or 5 years ago), he was the guy who'd come out of nowhere to make the big interception, or the game changing sack, or the 4th and 1 stop. He's still a steady and solid linebacker, but in a 3-4, the linebackers are the ones who have to make the big plays.

But this does answer one of the many questions facing the Patriots this off-season. And if Bruschi is paired with a young inside linebacker, he can set a great example and help mold young talent into a true Patriot.

Source:
Boston.com