Am I the only one not over concerned about losing DB?

[tombonneau]

Obviously the Pats are better with him than without him, but they aren't that much worse without him than most people think.

I'm surprised no one has posted the stats of the Pats in games with Branch than without him. I dont know what they are offhand, but I know its not the kind of dropoff experienced when Seymour was out.

Ulimately, Tom Brady made Branch. Just like he made Givens. And just like he made Patten. I think you'll see Givens do not much with the Titans, and I think Deion will not make a huge impact with whatever team gets him.

However, I think you will hear people talking about the rebirth of Caldwell (or even Troy), or the emergence of Chad Jackson here in NE.

I think Deion is talented and I like him, but--as evidanced by his complete disappearnce when double-teamed--he is not an elite WR and is made to look far better than he is by the NE system and a little guy called Tom Brady.

I wish Deion the best of luck in his future endeavours, I don't think this is at all what he envisioned happening when he embarked on his little adventure to increase his 2006 salary, but the momentum of his holdout has taken him down this path, and so be it.

But anyone who thinks this is a mortal blow to the Pats offense is kidding themselves.

 

[Patjew]

I'm concerned. Not overly concerned. The Pats are better with Branch, no question. But they are still good without him.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

What do you want us to do?

Its a bad loss but our hands are cuffed. We dont give into overpaying players period.

Deion also no longer wants to play for this team it seems.

So we take the loss and move on. Thers nothing you can do.

 

[emoney_33]

Deion will be a good receiver whereever he goes. Maybe not as good as he was for us with Brady throwing to him, and definitely not a top flight receiver, but he's gonna do fine wherever he goes.

I'm not that concerned because we have Tom Brady. It's not like we only have one receiver going out on each pass play and if you are open you will get the ball. The only thing that worries me are if guys start having butter fingers like Caldwell, Tom isn't gonna continue to throw to them when we absolutely need some yards.

However with the probable 2+ TE sets we will be showing this year, there won't be much of a need for more than 2 WR most of the time and one of them will surely be trust Troy.


If this team stays healthy, our offense will be just fine. I also have hopes for Chad Jackson getting healthy and maknig contributions. It's amazing to think how much we all loved DB before this whole fiasco... On a side note this is why I don't buy jerseys of these younger guys. I only want jerseys of TRUE PATRIOTS, and DB is obviously not that.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Exactly, Bam, or Kelvin, or Klecko, or whomever, our WRs will get open enough for Tommy and that makes teams respect them.

 

[belichickaholic]

For me, it all depends on CJ. If he is half the receiver everyone is saying he is, then I think we'll be all right. Also I think they'll pick up a half way decent receiver this week after final cuts. Remember, they plucked David Patten from the arena league.

Personally, I'm more concerned about the linebacker situation as I just don't have a lot of confidence in Seau and Tedy is still injured and getting up there in age. An extended injury to Tedy or Vrabel and we're screwed.

 

[emoney_33]

Exactly, Bam, or Kelvin, or Klecko, or whomever, our WRs will get open enough for Tommy and that makes teams respect them.

I see big things for Bam We may have a poster changing his name to Brady-To-Bam!

 

[Pats726]

But anyone who thinks this is a mortal blow to the Pats offense is kidding themselves.

He is a part of the whole..don't get caught up on the world revolving around wide receivers..Jow did you think Randle El played in the preseason?? Making a big difference in Wash??? they may be the ones who catch the ball and run for TDs. but with a good QB, all WRs will be a bit better. Think Givens will have a great year in Tenn?? THAT will be interesting. Branch is a good Wr..but 1--he's not a top 10 at all and 2---he wishes NOT to be playing here. Mortal blow?? No..not time..only for chicken littles...

 

[PATSNUTme]

OK- we have all those draft choices for 2007. Our 7 , unless we traded one. 3 or 4 as Comp picks, and 3 through trades this pre-season (if Gorin make the Cards team)

That is as many as 14. Does anyone else here think that BB will use some of them today or in the next few days to secure another WR and /or anothere LB? I do.

Here comes Box to tell us exactly how many choices we have, unless Pats1 beats him to it..

 

[lobster]

Jackson will probably be very good, possibly even outstanding, but he probably won't be contributing much before the 2nd half of the season because he missed camp and is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Branch on the other hand would get open in very tough games - Brady called him his primary go to receiver in the playoffs just this spring.

Bam played like a veteran WR and Troy Brown will do his best, but you need another top receiver or two out there for at least the first half of the season. Also if Bam is injured then what do you do - the Pat's couldn't even field 2 good receivers without Jackson.

The Pat's failed to build enough depth at WR this season while having plenty of cap room, and they must be held accountable by the fans!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

OK- we have all those draft choices for 2007. Our 7 , unless we traded one. 3 or 4 as Comp picks, and 3 through trades this pre-season (if Gorin make the Cards team)

That is as many as 14. Does anyone else here think that BB will use some of them today or in the next few days to secure another WR and /or anothere LB? I do.

Here comes Box to tell us exactly how many choices we have, unless Pats1 beats him to it..

If you'd learn to bookmark posts that contain the information you need, you wouldn't be begging the rest of us to bail you out. I'll bet you don't even have your favorite cheerleaders bookmarked, you just go all the way through the entire thread drooling on your paisley keyboard cover. Anyway, it's really no use telling you again, you've already run out of toes to count. :bricks:

 

[RayClay]

OK- we have all those draft choices for 2007. Our 7 , unless we traded one. 3 or 4 as Comp picks, and 3 through trades this pre-season (if Gorin make the Cards team)

That is as many as 14. Does anyone else here think that BB will use some of them today or in the next few days to secure another WR and /or anothere LB? I do.

Here comes Box to tell us exactly how many choices we have, unless Pats1 beats him to it..

That's a great thought PatsNut, I was wondering what we'd do with all those bottom picks. We have a ton and a ton more in comp.

If we check the wire, we can get ahead of other teams by offering something instead of nothing for teams about to cut a WR or LB.

 

[p8ryts]

I don't know why the media is so intent on pointing out that the Pats misread the market, or screwed up somehow. I was a big Bledsoe supporter and I guess that worked out pretty good, we were all shocked with the Milloy cut and that worked out real well, Ty Law left and the world did not end. Willie, Adam and David left and the world has not ended, in fact, I think we have more depth on this team than ever before. Yes we would like Deion on the field, but the team will adjust personnel and game approach to continue to be successful.

I can't stand the negative media. However, this works out I am behind the team. Their approach has been consistent and they are true to their philosphy and policies. They aren't always right (monty beisel) but they are right often enough that we have had an enjoyable decade and I'm not jumping off the bandwagon because of one player and one agent. Remember, these circumstances are sending messages to other free agents. Don't try to break the bank.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The media by and large over reacts to these things, and creates an atmosphere of hysteria. Thing to remember here is 29 teams passed on the chance to negotiate with Deion for his services. A couple, including Philly and SF, came right out and said the Patriots offer was one they would not trump and articulated the league wide perception that this system (read and react) and this QB have had as much to do with Deion's still somewhat limited success to date as Deion's talent did. He is small, he can be doubled out even with and certainly without a very solid #2 and a serious running threat to take the focus off him. He is just not elite.

Besides us the only 2 teams who have expressed serious interest even in the $6M per range are the JETS and Seattle. The JETS interest may be driven in part of as much by a desire to weaken a division opponent either by signing away their #1 or simply driving a deeper wedge between them and their player. They certainly are not a playoff caliber team and may not be for at least another year or two as they transition to entirely new management and coaching and scheme behind three problamatic QB options devoid of an established running threat.

Seattle's interest at least makes sense because they have a pretty good QB and an eilte RB and their biggest problem as Matt emerged has been receivers with the dropsies. They got to the Superbowl last year on the performance of a JAG WR who they then let walk for peanuts. Apparently in hind sight they made a mistake, as they did in not franchising their premier Olineman. So they are willing to overpay in contract and compensation in a weak market to secure a WR who seldom drops the ball and hope they can assimilate him in season on the fly. Obviously they don't like what they have seen from their existing roster and they are feeling some pressure to remain a contender while Holmgren/Hasselbeck remain a tandem. They came as a pair and Matt's success was some time in the making and they likely have concerns about the QB going forward should his career mentor retire or move on for another shot at running the show (after he lost the GM position with them). And their elite RB who just signed a deal to be the highest paid in the league will turn 30 next August. So they are likely looking to optomize their odds in a potentially limited window.

Pioli and Belichick are not playing for the window. Their intent is to field a competitive team that can contend for ANOTHER Lombardi to add to the 3 they've already collected in their first 6 seasons here for the remainder of the decade and beyond. They will not sacrifice the future in a panic to salvage the present like most non-winning GM's are inclined to do.

On the pre game last week Jonathan Kraft reminded listeners that while it bites to lose a veteran player it is worth noting what effect his acquisition had on the team who chose to overpay for him. Thus far it has had either no effect or a negative effect on the acquiring team from both a football and financial standpoint. While here those losses have had virtually no effect. Sure a Ty or Lawyer might have helped on the field last season, but had we retained them on their terms the guys we lost to injury would likely not have existed not to mention guys like Brady and Seymour and Light might not have been able to be extended because we lacked the cap space that their departure created.

Building and maintaining a championship caliber team is a process and collecting and retaining expensive talent is not necessarily key to it - something as Pat's fans we should all understand and appreciate by now. Turnover s necessary for lots of reasons not the least of which is financial. But it also allows them to stay hungry - something Deion Branch obviously is not. He has his rings and he wants his money. That is exactly the point at which he likely needs to leave. When he no longer represents value.

If they made any mistake here at all it was in not being more proactive and trading his sorry ass in April. Had there been a legit #1 FA WR available or had it not been such a shallow draft they likely would have. Now absent a suitable replacement it doesn't really matter whether they trade him or let him sit and lose that million dollars from his 5th year of his rookie deal that so gauls him. He'll have a similar value on the market next March with a tag around his neck as he has today unless of course we win without him. And if so who cares if we can't get better than a #2 for him. The thing I love about this team is as much the way they win as that they win. I root for the laundry, but I really relish the fact that on this team it's been hard not to like the guys who wear it. I hope they choose to keep building it that way even if it means we don't win a Superbowl every year.

 

[PATSNUTme]

If you'd learn to bookmark posts that contain the information you need, you wouldn't be begging the rest of us to bail you out. I'll bet you don't even have your favorite cheerleaders bookmarked, you just go all the way through the entire thread drooling on your paisley keyboard cover. Anyway, it's really no use telling you again, you've already run out of toes to count. :bricks:

no, I still have my left foot to go. But I did get my zipper stuck when I got to 11.

Notice Ray Clay said I had a great thought. I now have a very bad headache.

 

[RAWKY]

I don't think this is at all what he envisioned happening when he embarked on his little adventure to increase his 2006 salary, but the momentum of his holdout has taken him down this path, and so be it.

I disagree i think what is happening is exactly what Branch intended and he is modeling his playbook after TO and Philly fiascl. After Branch won the SP MVP he and his agent rejected Pat's attempts to Extend him and decided that they would shoot their way out of town via TO's example and guess what that is exactly what is happening.

So don't waste your tears on Dieon for he like Tye Law and Milloy do not deserve them......they chose the MONEY over being Pat's.

BB also saw this comming and switched emphisis to Tight Ends in the draft and on offense this yr because he has had enough of wacky prima donna WR's.

Dieon's agent is not doing anything that Dieon does not approve and agree with....Think about it no one not even an idiot would allow themselves to accrue more then $500,000 in fines without being on the same page with the agent.

The agent earns his money by being the "A" hole in public and Dieon plays his little humble pie act and sits in the background cheering him on.

Make no mistake this has been planned for a long time and Dieon in fully on board with it.

 

[p8ryts]

MoLewisrocks, excellent post, I agree 100%

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Tell me, I cant bend over, or see my toes anymore.

I'll bet that's not all you can't see...

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

no, I still have my left foot to go. But I did get my zipper stuck when I got to 11.

Notice Ray Clay said I had a great thought. I now have a very bad headache.

Magnification not magnetism, no wonder your zipper gets bound. :snob:

 

[lobster]

From Mike Reiss in June this was Brady's comment on Branch's hold-out:
"We've all been in that situation," said Brady. "Obviously, it's tough not having him out here, but that's the business and that's between him and the club. It gives us a chance to work on some other things, because USUALLY HE GETS THE BALL ON EVERY PLAY."

Also you think of all the Pat's have given up to get a top WR like Branch, a #2 for Bethel - bust, a #3 last season for someone else - also a bust, etc.