Ochocinco says he's looking for some "Brokeback Mountain chemistry" with his teammates. (US Presswire)


As Chad Ochocinco gets settled in with the Dolphins, he still believes he can turn around his career even though it’s been in serious decline the past two seasons.

Just about everybody knows that Ochocinco was an afterthought in the Patriots offense (actually, an afterthought would have been an improvement on Ochocinco’s role with that team) but in 2010, his last season in Cincinnati, it was clear his skills had begun to decline. So much so that Terrell Owens actually was the team’s top receiver that year.

In fact, Ochocinco hasn’t caught more than 75 passes in a season in four years, so it’s not like his decline has been all that rapid. 

But when talking to reporters in Miami on Tuesday, Ochocinco still managed to display some of his old trademark swagger and his confidence. It’s not at the level where he’s ready to send antacids to opposing cornerbacks anymore, but it’s clear he still believes in himself.

"For me it's about getting back to the basics, going back to where it all started, not as far as playing at home in Miami, but as far as the game goes and getting back to who we're all used to seeing and how I became what I am," Ochocinco said, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I think I kind of lost that. I'm looking to go back to Chad Johnson, and just make it live again."

The problem in Miami, though, could mirror the supposed problems he had with the Patriots. Namely, the playbook. Coach Joe Philbin estimates Ochocinco missed 78 percent of the installation of the new West Coast offense. For now, Philbin says coaches have been “spoon feeding” Ochocinco, but obviously, that can’t last much longer. Once the team gets into training camp, Ochocinco will have to know the offense well without having to spend much time thinking about it.

The good news for Ochocinco and the Dolphins? He apparently still has his quickness. On the field and with reporters as well (he spent less than 2 minutes with the press before saying, “I love you” and leaving). But he still managed a nice one-liner when he said he wanted to develop a “Brokeback Mountain chemistry” with his teammates.

Funny, that movie came out in 2005, the same year Ochocinco recorded a career-best 97 catches, 1,432 yards and nine touchdowns. If Ochocinco is looking to the past for his analogies, maybe it’s because he hopes his football skills from seven years ago are just as applicable.

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