Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
I’m not going to get into the blame-game involving Deion Branch again. What I’d like to do here is put out a couple of quotes from Branch and Tom Brady, in case you missed them. This is Deion’s opening statement at his introductory Seahawks press conference:
“First and foremost, thank you all. I’d like to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to be here and be a part of this team. I’d also like to thank Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Coach (Bill) Belichick and Scott Pioli and the organization of the New England Patriots for drafting me and giving me the opportunity to be the player that I have excelled to be. Hopefully I can continue to be that player here with the Seattle Seahawks and deliver as such that I did with the New England Patriots and I will be ready and prepared to do that when my time comes. I would also like to thank the fans back in
Pretty much tells you all you need to know about what kind of player/teammate the Patriots are losing. By the way, for those who took exception to Branch’s “I have 3 kids to take care of� comment the other day, be advised one of his sons is disabled and will require a lifetime of special care.
Now then, the other comment that caught my eye comes from Tom Brady’s Wednesday meeting with the press;
"He meant a lot to me as a person and as a player he meant a lot to this organization. Part of it is just this crazy deal that we’re associated with. I don’t think I’ve become de-sensitized to it, I think it’s tough every time. For example, last week, I spent a lot of energy thinking about it. You look at the end of the week, it really wasted a lot of my time and a lot of my energy. It was a big mental drain and I think it affected the way I played. I just didn’t feel like I brought as much to the table as I normally could. That’s why I’m excited about this week – hey, I learned a good lesson, I’m going to go out there and try to do the best I can do.�
An honest admission from the Patriots QB and very reminiscent of the Lawyer Milloy fallout. Having been through this kind of scenario before, I’m sure Brady will bounce back quite nicely. Now whether this Patriots team has a suitable replacement for Branch as it did for Milloy (Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson), remains to be seen.
Was anyone else impressed with the way Branch handled himself on the way out the door? Do we now have a better understanding why he drew this financial line in the sand? How about Brady? Will he bounce back? Or does he simply not have enough weapons at his disposal to carry the team to a Super Bowl?
I don't think we ever have all the information to pass judgement on players for their decisions. It does seem however that he is a classy guy and does have his reasons. It's unfortunate that somehting couldn't have been worked out.
Don't forget the Pats won their 1st superbowl without an superstar receiver and without a real good running back. The talent they lack at WR this year is more than made up for in QB, RB and TE. That's not to say they do not need Jackson or Gabriel to play the role of speed receiver to stretch the defenses. Hopefully one of those can get healthy enough to get on the field soon.
Am I happy Deion is gone? No. But I will have to agree he is a class act and I wish him luck.
Brady better step it up. I did not like what I saw in the Buffalo game. GO PATS!!!
Pro football today requires a unique balancing act for a team to remain at the top of the game, and the Patriots have done very well at it. Success breeds salary increases, so the cap forces hard choices. The Patriots did well to get a well-deserved contract to Brady, without breaking the bank. However, they could not do the same for everyone, and signing Branch would have forced that. Good for Branch he could get what he wanted, and good for both sides for parting ways on generally friendly terms. It's a business!
Business is business, but sometimes in business you have to pay for your assets. As Mike Felger said it isn't good business to draft Branch and Givens only to have them both leave when they enter their prime years. Its one thing to let older guys like Mcginest and Vinateri go.
No team gets better losing young playmakers. Even a team coached by Bill Belichick. He wasn't such a genius when coaching the Browns. Even he needs players.
To correct T2 Brown was a superstar receiver in 2001. If not, he at least put up superstar numbers.
I have to agree with Tito. Brown was an underated superstar receiver in 2001. T2 Knows exactly how I felt about him back then.
I guess over 100 catches is superstar numbers, and he got the job done. But he's still here and will account for most of the 60-70 catches Branch would have caught in this offense. That being siad, I still consider them different types of recivers.
Dion Branch, is that the guy from psychic friends network? what a nice boy.