The payoff: a trip to the Super Bowl for a player who had never won a postseason game.
‘‘It’s been a learning experience; that’s what this has been. This had been one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever been in,’’ he said Thursday as he prepared for the Feb. 5 game against the New York Giants. ‘‘This is one of the first times I’ve been about doing exactly what everyone told me to do. It wasn’t about the numbers. It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about me.’’
Does he regret the trade-off?
‘‘No!’’ he said with an expletive and a smile, ‘‘because I’ve done the other thing over and over.’’
‘‘I’m happy, but the competitive side of me is (angry),’’ he said. ‘‘Does that make sense?’’
Little about Ochocinco’s time in New England does.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection who had more than 1,000 yards receiving in a seven-year span, Ochocinco was acquired by the Patriots over the summer for an undisclosed draft pick. It was a low-risk move for New England coach Bill Belichick, the kind that paid off for him when Randy Moss caught a record-setting 23 touchdowns in the 16-0 regular season of 2007.
‘‘It didn’t happen that way,’’ Ochocinco said. ‘‘I think God did not want it that way. I think he put me to the test.’’
Ochocinco has struggled to find a place in the offense, catching just 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown this season — all career lows. During the playoffs, he has been even more invisible: He was on the field for just one play in the divisional playoff against Denver; last week, after missing practice to be at his father’s funeral, he was on the inactive list for the game.
‘‘I handled myself with the utmost professionalism,’’ Ochocinco said. ‘‘I busted my (butt), didn’t pout — that’s what I do: ‘Give me the rock!’ But I didn’t do what people thought I would do. Even I thought I was going to do it.’’
