New England Patriots: 5 NFL careers even Bill Belichick couldn’t save

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots and Chad Johnson were not a match made in heaven

When the New England Patriots finally traded for Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad Johnson, it was supposed be another one of those Corey Dillon type transactions that was a win-win for the team and player.

That was not the case however and it had nothing to do with the big personality “Ochocinco” came with.

In short, Johnson was obviously on the decline in his career when he came to New England, but if there was any chance of squeezing one more productive season out of the veteran star receiver it would definitely be with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Well, that Brady to “Ochocinco” connection really never got off the ground as Johnson struggled to learn the offense and never formed any chemistry with Brady.

In 15 games, Johnson caught just 15 passes on 32 targets for 276 yards and a touchdown.  Two seasons removed from his last 1,000 yard receiving season, it was a very disappointing season for Johnson and a union that never panned out although the team did make it to the Super Bowl that season.

What went wrong?

It was the system and although Johnson had a lot of respect for Belichick as a coach, learning the Patriots complex playbook and fitting into the system just wasn’t the right fit for the player.

"“It’s just their system itself doesn’t fit my skill set, what I’m able to do.  I’m predominately outside receiver,” Johnson said, via 247sports.  “The Patriots system, it runs from the inside out.  So every other team in the NFL, your No.1 is your No.1 receiver and it works from the outside in.  The Patriots are the only offense where the No. 1 star is going to working from the inside out.  It’s a dink and dunk type of offense that is extremely effective especially with the type of quarterback they have at the helm.”"

In referring to Tom Brady at the time, Johnson couldn’t adjust his game to fit the system.  Obviously, Bill Belichick thought he could help the team so the failure on the Patriots coach is not putting Chad Johnson in a position to be effective.

Like other veteran receivers like Eric Decker, Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt, Johnson’s career ended in New England.