What's in a name? According to Rex Ryan, everything.
The New York Jets head coach held a news conference Monday as his squad officially opened training camp in Florham Park, N.J. Among the many topics Ryan addressed was the Patriots' trade for Chad Ochocinco.
The outspoken head coach is plenty familiar with the outspoken receiver from Ryan's days as the defensive coordinator in Baltimore.
"When he was Chad Johnson, we could never stop him," Ryan said during Monday's news conference. "I hope he doesn't change his name back."
Ryan isn't exaggerating about the name change. As defensive coordinator of the Ravens, Ryan faced the wideout six times while he was still Chad Johnson. The Bengals won five of those matchups, with the 6-foot-1 receiver grabbing 31 passes for 469 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2008, the former second-round draft pick legally changed his last name to Ochocinco and his success against Ryan changed as well. Ryan's teams have won the last five games against Ochocinco and have held him to 11 catches for 136 yards and zero trips to the end zone.
