Deion Branch Discussion

[Gronkandez]

My biggest problem with Branch is his price tag. $2.6 million for a #3 is too much.

Also, I'm getting SICK of seeing Edelman and Slater on the depth charts. They CANT PLAY! Heck, throw up Price and Underwood for that matter. All the "we are fine at WR" just don't see how pathetic our depth is. Totally useless group of guys that are slow and/or midgets, can't jump, can't fight for the ball, can't create seperation, and can't catch a ball that hits them right in the hands.

It's pathetic.

Use that $2.6M toward a guy like Mike Wallace please. Then draft your speed guy/KR/project in the draft.

 

[ATippett56]

2011
Welker, Branch, Ochocinco, Price, Edelman, Slater
================================
2012
Welker,????, ????, Branch, Edelman, Slater
================================
We should definitely bring back Welker and Branch, giving us some stability at wide receiver. Make no mistake, Branch has lost a step and is in the process of losing another. However, he is certainly worth the money as an emergency #4 WR, our #6 receiving option.

We can spend the rest of the off-season discussing the options for the two open wider receiver spots.

I would not consider Matt Slater as a wide receiver but strictly a special teams player.

2012 New England Patriots wide receivers

Welker, ????, ????, Branch, Edelman

???? - Marques Colston or Brandon Lloyd or Reggie Wayne
???? - Josh Morgan

Josh Morgan, wide receiver from the San Francisco 49ers, could be a relatively inexpensive option (especially when compared to the bigger wide receiver names on the market) for the New England Patriots offense.

Josh Morgan, WR for the San Francisco 49ers at NFL.com

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I want him back, at the very least for insurance and as a mentor. Do you really want to go into next season with zero wideouts beyond Welker (assuming he IS kept) that are proven in our offense? Branch is useful to this team at least in that role, and I feel like he can once again be a reliable 4th option on the team (preferably 5th if a FA/rookie DOES step up as the 4th option).

 

[VrabelJr]

The reason most of you are unimpressed with Deion Branch is that he's more or less a slot receiver. We already have the #1 slot WR in the league in Wes Welker.

To you I pose this question: What if the only way for us to sign a big time Wide Receiver threat was to let Welker go and move Branch to the slot? Would you do it?

 

[letekro]

Strictly numbers-wise, his production hasn't dropped off. There's no reason not to expect him back.

297 yards over the last 8 regular season games for your top outside target is abysmal. Obviously, if he is the 4th WR and plays for dirt I don't have a problem with it. I'm just not sure he is an NFL caliber player anymore. Brady looks for him a lot and his production is still poor. I think he is done, but we shall see.

 

[CT_Pats_Fan]

I'd love to see the Pats re-sign Welker, bring in a solid #2, and have Branch as #3. The guy has everything the Pats value - football smart, is a hard worker, tough, not afraid to go over the middle, and Brady trusts him. Count the "upside, talented" guys they've brought in that failed due to not having some (or all) of the above.

Yes, he's a year older, not as quick, but he's a known known, and if his production is off, could it be that's because Welker, Hernandez and Gronk are getting most of the balls thrown their way (as they should)?

 

[brdmaverick]

I think there is some merit to maintaining some consistency, BUT we have also seen that when the talent is THAT good Brady and the wideouts will make plays regardless. (ie, see 2007 when the Pats brought in Moss, Welker, Stallworth).

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't believe that Deion will be back because an average of 2 receptions and 31 yards per game over the last 10 games of the season isn't enough. Not from a guy who is the #2 WR. Just like it wasn't enough for Chad Johnson and why I believe that Chad will be gone also.

 

[DaBruinz]

Didn't that Midget catch a huge 4th down throw at 4th and 16 late in the SB that moved the Patriots into position to win?

Branch is too old to take over a game,but if there is one player Brady respects and trusts in a 4th and long situation,Its Branch.

Branch is still excellent depth as a 4th receiver,I don't think he is done yet..

But he had a critical drop on the previous series that, along with Welker's drop, cost the Pats the game.

 

[Patspsycho]

297 yards over the last 8 regular season games for your top outside target is abysmal. Obviously, if he is the 4th WR and plays for dirt I don't have a problem with it. I'm just not sure he is an NFL caliber player anymore. Brady looks for him a lot and his production is still poor. I think he is done, but we shall see.

You call his production poor and declining, even "abysmal," but looking at the numbers, pre-Seattle and post-Seattle, they really do not differ:

2005: 998 yards, avg: 12.8, long: 51, TD: 5

2010: 706 yards, avg:14.7, long: 79T, TD:5
2011: 702 yards, avg:13.8, long: 63, TD:5

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Deion Branch - Discuss

Deion Branch was not the problem at any time this year. This is the way I'd rate our pass catchers:

Gronkowski- A
Hernandez- B+
Welker- A-

Branch- C/C+

Edelman- D
Ochocinco- D/F
Slater- D/F
Underwood- F

The problem is just how bad our bad receivers are. I would be thrilled to have two or three guys of Branch's caliber in our lineup. He has good hands and instincts, and he can make teams pay at times. Edelman and Slater are not even real WRs; Underwood is a practice squad guy. Ochocinco does not and will not understand the system. Price and Tate were both cut.

We just need players that are adequate to make plays when the defenses focus on shutting down the big three. We don't need Calvin Johnson, we just need guys that can beat a nickel back or linebacker in coverage.

Sorry, but your initial statement is false. Branch was a problem over the course of the last 10 games, including the SB. 2 receptions for 31 yards per game is not adequate from a guy you expect to pick up slack during a play-off run.

As for your evaluations of Edelman, I guess you missed the fantastic job he did against Baltimore in the play-offs during his rookie year. Since then, you also seem to have missed that he slid down the receiver depth chart to #6 behind Welker, Gronkowski, Hernandez, Branch, and Woodhead. Yes, he had some confidence issues during his sophomore year, but he played well in the SB again.

 

[DaBruinz]

Strictly numbers-wise, his production hasn't dropped off. There's no reason not to expect him back.

His numbers have dropped off. Especially when you look at the last 10 games of the season..

 

[Patspsycho]

His numbers have dropped off. Especially when you look at the last 10 games of the season..

Yet, they are within the scope of what he has produced, every season that he has been here.

 

[fumbrunner]

i cant think of a better guy to bring along a rookie wr. his chemistry with brady is second to none. that will be invaluable for the inevitable wr draft pick. i'm ok with him as the number 3 or 4 wr, behind a fa signing and a draft pick.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yet, they are within the scope of what he has produced, every season that he has been here.

No. They aren't. That's the problem. When you actually look at the last 10 games of the season (the last 7 of the season and the 3 play-off games) they are BELOW what Deion has done. Sorry, but 22 receptions for 312 yards is not in the scope of what Deion did previously.

If you actually look, there is a steady decline during that time. It's plainly clear to anyone who puts their bias aside and looks at the production.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I think there is some merit to maintaining some consistency, BUT we have also seen that when the talent is THAT good Brady and the wideouts will make plays regardless. (ie, see 2007 when the Pats brought in Moss, Welker, Stallworth).

And they went no farther with a better defense and overall talent. And for the record Donte made $3.5M back in 2007 to produce less than Deion Branch did this year for $2.2M. Ochostinko was brought in at a cost of $6M ($2.8M against the cap and $3M remaining in dead cap) to compete for the job and he did squat. One of the things the coaches reiterated down the stretch was that targets aside Deion was doing all the little things that allowed or facilitated his teamates success. But you fantasy fanboys don't grasp that. This isn't Madden. There is value in non scoring play...like making key blocks and setting up picks and rubs and drawing coverage away from intended targets and being on the field in exactly the place Brady expects you to be and on the field for a majority of the offensive snaps all season because the coaches and QB trust you...

The players you're all so anxious to bring in will be looking for 2-3 times what Deion made this season and there is the distinct possibility for a variety of reasons they won't outproduce him.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

But he had a critical drop on the previous series that, along with Welker's drop, cost the Pats the game.

So did Hernandez. We should just get rid of all of them. Not for nothing but you might want to consider the emergence of the two TE's over the course of the season of the season when you try to fathom why Branch's numbers were down...along with the fact that he was battling a groin injury that actually kept him out of one game although he fought through it because the alternative was Stinko...

 

[DaBruinz]

So did Hernandez. We should just get rid of all of them. Not for nothing but you might want to consider the emergence of the two TE's over the course of the season of the season when you try to fathom why Branch's numbers were down...along with the fact that he was battling a groin injury that actually kept him out of one game although he fought through it because the alternative was Stinko...

Mo - unlike some people, I don't over-react to dumb crap. Hernandez has had drop issues since he came in. He has gotten better, but he still needs more work.

Fact is that Branch is injury prone. Always has been. And I did take into consideration that the TEs emerged, but that doesn't change the fact that Branch just wasn't getting open anymore. And that, more than anything, is what caused his drop in production.

No matter how you want to sugar coat it, Branch's production dropped dramatically. I don't want Ocho back either because I don't believe he's going to be able to play in this offense. If he proves me wrong, great. I have never had a problem eating crow. I've done it more than a few times on here.

 

[alvinnf]

Branch is an interesting player for NE. They need a playmaker on the outside, not a deep threat, a playmaker! Branch is a guy who's on the back nine, but he has value. Both as a mentor and the type of guy who knows where the soft spots are in the D. The rub is, this team has featured two TE'S as it's go to set. So if you know you defiantly need a playmaker on the outside, then Deion becomes a matchup 4th wr. He has value though and I wouldn't be so willing to just cast him off.

 

[Rob0729]

Personally, I think Branch will be back for the veteran minimum as a #3 WR. He isn't really starter material anymore, but he has synergy with Brady and can be very effective off the bench. The guy did have some really good games this year. He just isn't consistent enough to be a starter and obviously he isn't a consistent outside threat or a deep threat.