Has Ochocinco lost his drive?

For years, Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco lit up the NFL for years, posting gaudy numbers in receiving yards. He was clearly an elite receiver.

But now? He’s topped 1,000 yards just once in the last three years. And while he got nine TD’s in 2009, he had just four in the year before and the year after. Clearly, he’s not an elite receiver.

But a well-informed source tells Tom Curran of CSNNE.com that Ochocinco “has lost his nerve and work ethic.” This would explain a lot for a guy that seems to prefer doing television shows like “The T. Ocho Show” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

Is it possible that this is one of the reasons that Carson Palmer doesn’t want to play in Cincinnati anymore? Is he tired of having receivers like T.O. (bitches too much) and Ochocinco (dogging it)?

We’ll see what happens this season, but Ocho’s production of late would match that quote perfectly.