I tend to agree with you. It would be interesting to see if any high friction, into the regular season type holdouts of the past have ended with the player reporting and all things forgotten. I honestly don't know if that has ever happened (I doubt it though). I would think DB must fire Team Branch for it to occur . If he did that, it would be a first step. If the Patriots also 'upped' their offer a bit (or gave him a bump for this year), it could possibly lead to some relationship repair. One would think, however, that something like that would have already happened. It seems both sides are dug in at this point, and neither is going to give an inch. Too bad for everyone but especially Branch. The Patriots WILL move on without him if they have to. That is a fact. Plus, DB has little power here and is up against possibly the most financially disciplined FO of modern time. Team Branch is trying to play a pair of jacks like it is a full house. The problem with that is the Patriots had/have 4 queens and all the cards are face up now. If Branch hasn't fired Team Branch knowing this, why would he tomorrow or the next day? One outside possibility is Branch's lack of game checks, and what kind of life he is used to presently. Each week's 65k that should have but doesn't come into his bank account must cause him to question his situation along with a little shiver down his spine. It would mine...........