It wasn't shocking, then, to see that Ochocinco had more nice things to say about Belichick and the Patriots. It was, however, a little surprising just how honest he was.
"To be able to play for an organization like [the Patriots], I'd be the happiest player in the world," Ochocinco recently told David Portnoy — better known as "elpresidente" — of Barstoolsports. "To me, if any player can play there, they have that respect. But I'm under contract [with the Bengals]."
Ochocinco is indeed under contract, but his departure from Cincinnati seems inevitable at this point, as Marvin Lewis seems to have had enough of the receiver's never-ending antics. That act, though, would disappear quickly in New England, Ochocinco claimed.
"A lot of people say my style of play would be weird in that system, but the thing they don't realize is that I don't have to be Chad Johnson. I [wouldn't] have to be Ochocino in the media, because I'm finally getting what I've wanted. Winning. Winning," Ochocinco told the website. "Listen, I create this party, I create this guy that loves football that's like a little kid out there. … I'm trying to cram as much [expletive] fun as possible into the games as I can. … [In New England], I wouldn't have to do that [expletive]. I wouldn't have to celebrate. Celebrate for what? I'll score 30 [expletive] times!
"Belichick knows me, see, this is what I love about the New England Patriots," Ochocinco added. "I'm close to that man on a personal level. They already know that behind the fun, behind the celebrations, they know how hard I work."
Ochocinco has tweeted in the past about his willingness to join the Patriots, and Belichick's even responded on one occasion.
"I like Chad," Belichick said in September 2010. "I like him as a player. I like him as a person. I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that. [We’re] an odd couple, but in the end, I think we have a lot of things in common."
