Ever wanted to be roommates with Chad Ochocinco? If you live near Foxborough, Mass., you have a chance.
That's because the newly acquired New England Patriots wide receiver still is looking for a place to live, and he said Tuesday that he's toying with a novel way of getting to know the Boston area.
"I'm going to do something different -- I'm actually going to stay with a fan, probably the first two or three weeks of the season," Ochocinco said. "So that should be fun until I get myself acclimated, I learn my way around and actually just find a place."
Ochocinco hasn't picked the fan yet, but he laid out a simple set of requirements.
"They have to have Internet, and they have to have Xbox, and that's about it," Ochocinco said.
The number of tweets by Ochocinco, who has more than 2 million followers on Twitter, have decreased since he became a Patriot on July 29. So, he was asked Tuesday if he could both be himself and still be a Patriot, and he just smiled.
After signing with New England, Ochocinco said he "will always be me," but he also said he was "going to blend in and do it the Patriot way, which is win. It has been a part of my game to always be me, but there is a certain way the Patriots do it and it's easy for me."
The veteran receiver said he still has a lot of work to do, but he's starting to feel comfortable with his new teammates. He gave fellow receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch and quarterback Tom Brady credit for his progress.
"I've been able to assume a lot of information in a short period of time," Ochocinco said, while adding "there's still a lot of work to do."
Notes: Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he doubted he would play veterans more than he usually does in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also said it was "probably right" that players who haven't been practicing won't play in the game. ... Belichick said newly acquired Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis are both "day to day" when it comes to returning to the field. Haynesworth has missed the past four practices. "He's in the 'day to day' category and getting some treatment," Belichick said. "He'll be out there as soon as he can." He said Ellis is in a similar situation. Ellis has been placed on the physically unable to perform list. He can resume practicing whenever he is ready, and he still counts against the 90-man roster limit. "He's making progress and getting better," Belichick said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
