When Chad Ochocinco was released by the Patriots, there were two assumptions made, neither flattering.  One was that he couldn’t run anymore, since there was no evidence of his previous big-play ability. Two was that he never learned the Patriots playbook sufficiently to perform.  Read more after the jump.
While his new Dolphins teammates have been impressed with his physical condition, team officials apparently were wondering about the mental.
A Dolphins source told Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe that Ochocinco admitted as much when he met with the team.
“The guy did all but admit that it was a struggle for him mentally, the playbook, all that stuff,’’ the source told Bedard. “He didn’t deny that it was a problem for him, learning it up there.’’
Now, he’s joined a team that had already installed most of its offense by the time he showed up. What could possibly go wrong?
Still, signing Ocho is a low-risk move for the Dolphins. For the one-year deal to be worth the reported $2 million, he’d have to perform at a high level. They don’t really have many good receivers, and if he can play, he helps the team. His circus act will also be good for business when Hard Knocks rolls into town, at least drawing attention away from others who might not know as well as he does how to handle it.
