Branch still loves BB, would love to be back (el mergio)

[nashvillepatsfan]

I think we have overlooked something. So far this offseason, PatJew has said "sign the beast" on every thread about possible future Patriots. Out of all the threads on Branch, i havent seen one "sign the beast" comment from him.

That tells me that we should NOT sign Branch. The Chinaman has spoken

 

[Patspsycho]

Im all for bringing his crazy lying ass back.

Fixed it for you.

He says he still talks to "half the team."

I believe there's only three or so players left from the roster he was on. Nice try. :bricks:

 

[Patspsycho]

....????
He took that plunge on defense. Not offense.

Correct. And this coming season, he takes the plunge on offense.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Fixed it for you.

He says he still talks to "half the team."

I believe there's only three or so players left from the roster he was on. Nice try. :bricks:

Since 2005? Nah, more than that. Brady, Faulk, Light, Mankins, Koppen, Neal, Kaczur, Watson, Wilfork, Warren, Green, Woods, Alexander, Sanders, just off the top of my head. There's probably more.

 

[Disco Volante]

What a romantic story this is.

I wonder if Deion is aware that Bill is married, though.

 

[chevss454]

He is only 30.

Chronological age is indirectly related to physiological age. Injuries take a toll.

 

[Krazy Koz]

Does anyone remember who we picked up with the pick we got from Seattle in this whole Branch trade a few years back? Just curious with all of the talk about him again.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

Does anyone remember who we picked up with the pick we got from Seattle in this whole Branch trade a few years back? Just curious with all of the talk about him again.

Brandon Meriweather

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I'm all for bringing back Meoin, IF HE IS CUT, I would not trade for him.

Now on to the actual translation of the Branch interveiw....

"I really screwed up and wanted out of a winning situation, not thinking of the playoff and endorsement money that I would leave behind. My career is winding down now, and as of today, instead of being heralded as a former Superbowl MVP on a dynasty, I'm thought of as I guywho spat in my clubs face and demanded to be traded and have not seen the field or a winning saeson since. I realize now, that I most likely cost the Patriots at least one and maybe two more Superbowls, and now Brady to Moss, and Brady to Welker is all anyone talks about. I'm sorry, Bill, please take me back!"

 

[BradyManny]

Re: "I would love to be back" - Deion Branch

So he's already lying his arse off about not wanting to leave... If there was ANY truth to that, he wouldn't have skipped all those workouts, his agent would have bargained in good faith and Meion wouldn't have forced the trade the way he did.

I would've agreed with you back in the day, I know I resented Branch as a fan for what he did. But in hindsight, with some distance from it, it really was as he described it. This is a business, and he - just as Asante or Wilfork - have a right to get as much money as they want. If it means sacrificing playing for the team they want to play for, well, that's their [wrong] decision to make. I think they have their priorities screwed up, but it's well within their right to go out and try to get every last dollar, just as any employee can do in any industry. I think its shallow and short-sighted - and Branch should understand that now. But were bridges really burnt? Ultimately, I think it'd be pretty petty of either side not to understand that this is a business, and these things happen.

 

[Patjew]

I think we have overlooked something. So far this offseason, PatJew has said "sign the beast" on every thread about possible future Patriots. Out of all the threads on Branch, i havent seen one "sign the beast" comment from him.

That tells me that we should NOT sign Branch. The Chinaman has spoken

Sign the twig!

 

[satz]

Still believe that its time to draft a 2nd rd WR and a one in 5th rd again. Time to build WR group for brady for the next 5-6 yrs.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Still believe that its time to draft a 2nd rd WR and a one in 5th rd again. Time to build WR group for brady for the next 5-6 yrs.

Whats interesting to me is that the team has has better success drafting WRs after the 2nd round that in the 2nd round....

 

[condon84]

Re: "I would love to be back" - Deion Branch

If he can still play, why wouldn't we want him back?

Too many of you take personal offense when a player ends up leaving due to the business nature of the NFL.

The bottom line is that if he can help us win our next SB, then sign him up.

 

[BradyManny]

Still believe that its time to draft a 2nd rd WR and a one in 5th rd again. Time to build WR group for brady for the next 5-6 yrs.

Agreed - but you still may need a stopgap before Tate and incoming draftees are ready to contribute. Who better than a guy Brady loved playing with?

 

[Patspsycho]

Since 2005? Nah, more than that. Brady, Faulk, Light, Mankins, Koppen, Neal, Kaczur, Watson, Wilfork, Warren, Green, Woods, Alexander, Sanders, just off the top of my head. There's probably more.

14/52 is half the team? Oh ok.

 

[spacecrime]

Re: "I would love to be back" - Deion Branch

I would've agreed with you back in the day, I know I resented Branch as a fan for what he did. But in hindsight, with some distance from it, it really was as he described it. This is a business, and he - just as Asante or Wilfork - have a right to get as much money as they want.

No, you can't compare Branch to Asante or Wilfork. Those two played out their contracts and moved on. They have the right to earn what they want where they want to earn it. I'll miss Wilfork if he leaves, but will harbor no ill will, and will cheer him if he returns to Foxboro wearing another uniform. At least for the introduction

Branch signed a contract and refused to honor it. To him, violating a contract my be "just business" but you cannot comnpare him to Asante or Wilfork.

Branch I will boo if he is introduced in Foxboro even if he is wearing a Pats uni.

 

[spacecrime]

Re: "I would love to be back" - Deion Branch

Too many of you take personal offense when a player ends up leaving due to the business nature of the NFL.

Too many of you have no self respect when a player lies to you. (APRIL: "I will honor my contract." JULY: "I refuse to play under the contract I signed. Ratgini offered me a bigger contract under the table, match it or I walk.")

Yeah, he can help. Go for it if the bottom line means more to you than your self respect. "Well, yeah, my wife cheated on me with my atuo mechanic, but that was four years ago. I still take my car to him to be fixed because he is a good mechanic. It's just good business."

Blech.

 

[BradyManny]

Re: "I would love to be back" - Deion Branch

No, you can't compare Branch to Asante or Wilfork. Those two played out their contracts and moved on. They have the right to earn what they want where they want to earn it. I'll miss Wilfork if he leaves, but will harbor no ill will, and will cheer him if he returns to Foxboro wearing another uniform. At least for the introduction

Branch signed a contract and refused to honor it. To him, violating a contract my be "just business" but you cannot comnpare him to Asante or Wilfork.

Branch I will boo if he is introduced in Foxboro even if he is wearing a Pats uni.

There's no guaranteed contracts in the NFL - how many contracts has Robert Kraft terminated before it reached completion? What percentage of NFL contracts do owners actually honor until their completion?

If we accept that NFL ownership has the right to terminate a contract when its in their best interest and consider contracts completely meaningless, then is it really fair to kill a player for recognizing he has completely outplayed his contract? Which Branch had. I'm not trying to defend Branch - every word you just said, I said back when it happened. But with time to reflect, I think what he did was just nature of the business, as unfortunate and selfish as it was.

 

[DaBruinz]

Here is the actual link to the quote from BB. It is from a 4/29/06 Press Conference. Don't worry I didn't pull a Borges and make some crap up:
Belichick Press Conference - 4/29/2006

In response to your comments about how Branch handled his situation, I don't think it was worse than anything Ty Law did, who pronounced his displeasure publicly. Yet Ty Law was rumored to have been offered to return the Pats numerous times after he left. Perhaps Branch and his agent engaged in some shrewd tactics, but the Pats have in the past as well. Perhaps Branch and his agent engaged in tampering, but I think every NFL team has at some point. The point is he didn't try to skewer the Pats PUBLICLY, like others have. I have never gotten the sense that there was bitterness at a personal level between Branch and the Pats, and thus like Law, I think there is a potential for entertaining the thought of a return.

Shrewd? Not negotiating in good faith isn't SHREWD. Illegally contacting other teams about the contract you can get with them is not being SHREWD. You seriously must have failed whatever Business Ethics class you might have taken because Branch violated just about every ethical code when it came to his "negotiation" with the Patriots.

Law may have called the Pats and BB liars, but he never went back on his word nor did he negotiate in bad faith.

Also, I believe that the Pats have nullified the last year of rookie contracts in the past. Seymour was given a salary bump after holding out in training camp (2005?). Brady and Ty Warren (and I believe along with a few others) have signed contract extensions before their rookie deals ended.

The Pats did NOT nullify the last year of anyone's rookie contract. Not Brady. Not Ty Warren. Not Seymour. And Seymour's "holdout" was because the Pats had to wait to give him an extension because they had modified his contract in 2004 and the rules say that you have to wait 1 calender year from the last modification.

Signing an extension before your rookie deal ends does not nullify the rookie contract. That is what you don't seem to understand.

I am not disputing that Deion was clearly looking out for his own best interest during his holdout, and perhaps cost us a SB in 2006. But I don't think he ever acted in a disrespectful manner toward the Pats or us as fans.[/QUOTE]

If you don't think that he acted in a disrespectful manner than I don't know what else to say. Your definition of disrespectful is clearly different than mine and I guess you think that being dishonest in business is ok.. I don't.