Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

[DarrylS]

Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

For all you who participate in Deion Branch love fest on a regular basis, here is an article in a local paper which is not that complimentary to him..

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2006/12/24/ap/sports/sports.txt

KIRKLAND — Maybe Deion Branch is still suffering an acclimation hangover of learning an unfamiliar offense in an unknown city.

Or maybe the former Super Bowl MVP is just another victim of the Seattle Seahawks’ maddeningly inconsistent offense that has failed to show the potency it displayed a year ago.

Whatever the reason, the wide receiver, for whom Seattle traded a first-round draft pick to New England, isn’t meeting his own expectations and has been relatively unnoticed in the Seahawks’ offense of late.

“I really haven’t been putting up the numbers like I know I can. But we’re doing a lot of different things on offense,†Branch said as the Seahawks prepared for today matchup with San Diego.

If it sounds like Branch is unhappy or disappointed with his situation in Seattle, that’s not the case. Instead, he’s just another member of an offense that is riddled with injuries and failing to meet self-imposed goals.

 

[PatsDeb]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

As usual, the grass is always greener on the other side (for both the Pats and Branch).

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar there'll be sun...Tomorrow, tomorrow, is only a draft pick away..."

 

[Johnny Mac]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

There's only so much one puzzle piece can do.

 

[PatsFan-NH]

Deion and the Seahawks settling in

I would have to disagree, the article is very complimentary to him.

It explains why his stats are down, shows that he takes responsibility, and provides him an opportunity to call for harder work on the part of the whole offense, without him sounding like a whiner or throwing anybody under the bus. What Deion is doing is being just as classy there as he was here.

And here he is sorely missed. The FO has the best engine in the league (QB) and they felt they could surround him with bargain basement WRs much like putting 4 flat tires on a car with the best engine.

Its not surprising that we are having problems, and who knows if the team will be consistent enough to go far into the playoffs. Until we have our own house in order, it makes no sense to make fun of the struggles of other teams. The Seahawks were not blown out 21 to 0 by a team at the bottom of their division. The Seahawks lost their QB for several games, do you think we would be better than 8 -6 if we lost Tom for the same number of games ?

I just don't understand the need to trash former players who leave because they can get better deals elsewhere (its a business), while shrugging off the same behavior on the part of the FO. And lets stop with the stupid 'violated his contract' nonsense. A contract in the NFL is not worth the paper it is written on. With a contract, the team can still cut anyone it wants to, its only fair that it should work both ways. On top of which we wouldn't have BB as a coach if he hadn't done the same thing to the Jets, so lets try a little reality with all that Kool-Aid.

The FO gambled that it could be cheap and now we are paying the price. We may still squeak by, but it is not a sure thing, we are a very weak and inconsistent 10-4 and have mostly lost to the few quality teams we have played. Once we hit the playoffs, its all quality teams. The Pats and their experience and character may pull it off, but its not a lock and there is no reason to be so petty about Deion and the Seahawks, or anyone else.

 

[fgssand]

Re: Deion and the Seahawks settling in

The FO gambled that it could be cheap and now we are paying the price. We may still squeak by, but it is not a sure thing, we are a very weak and inconsistent 10-4 and have mostly lost to the few quality teams we have played. Once we hit the playoffs, its all quality teams. The Pats and their experience and character may pull it off, but its not a lock and there is no reason to be so petty about Deion and the Seahawks, or anyone else.

Have heard this 1MM times - now you tell me, what else could they have done after the turd, formerly known as the twig - lied to them about playing out his final year, refused to negotiate with them unless they dropped the "Franchise " tag and otherwise ignored every attempt to negotiate in good faith.

Had they given in and signed him a year before his contract was up - you tell me exactly how you would deal with 52 other players looking to do exactly the same thing?

Sorry dude, Branch misled this team and held a grudge left over from his rookie contract. Were it not for a very accommodating Manboygini, it would not have worked out for him at all.

 

[PatsMyBoyz!]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

“I really haven’t been putting up the numbers like I know I can. But we’re doing a lot of different things on offense,†Branch said as the Seahawks prepared for today matchup with San Diego.

QUOTE]

Or maybe-e-e Brady's the one who made Deion a star.Maybe-e-e w/o Brady (and now DB's "new" offense) he won't ever put up the kind of #'s he had while he was here.

 

[Pats726]

Re: Deion and the Seahawks settling in

Have heard this 1MM times - now you tell me, what else could they have done after the turd, formerly known as the twig - lied to them about playing out his final year, refused to negotiate with them unless they dropped the "Franchise " tag and otherwise ignored every attempt to negotiate in good faith.

Had they given in and signed him a year before his contract was up - you tell me exactly how you would deal with 52 other players looking to do exactly the same thing?

Sorry dude, Branch misled this team and held a grudge left over from his rookie contract. Were it not for a very accommodating Manboygini, it would not have worked out for him at all.

Great POST!!

 

[PatsWorldChamps]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

Branch VIOLATED the terms of his contract with the pats. nuff said. he is a turd, nothing but a turd. cant wait for the draft!!!!!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

http://www.chicagotribune.com/techn...ec24,1,4880448.story?coll=chi-techtopheds-hed

Deion Branch buys near work

The new house that wide receiver Deion Branch just bought means his drive to Seattle Seahawks practice will take about two minutes.

Branch, named most valuable player of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, purchased a home for $1.7 million. The four-bedroom house is in Kirkland, across Lake Washington from Seattle, and near the team's practice field.

The 5,088-square-foot Craftsman-style house has a great room with double-height ceilings, a private deck off the master bedroom, a two-car garage and a front courtyard with a fountain. It was built in 2004 by local home builder John Lux Jr. and his wife, Laurie, as their personal residence.

Branch, 27, won two Super Bowls in four seasons with the New England Patriots before being traded in September to Seattle.

 

[RayClay]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

Branch was a good receiver who fit our system well. Because of that we were willing to pay him more than he was worth on the open market.

When I say "worth" in this context, I obviously don't mean what a willing buyer, (Seattle) would pay.

I mean what he will be considered as the years go on and he levels out as what he is, a good, short receiver with great quickness and good, but not great speed.

A possession receiver like Troy Brown. He's unlikely to match Brown's record of 101 reception, or even 97 or 83, now that he's not in an offense that's a perfect match for his skills.

So keep some money in the bank, Deion, that mortgage stays the same regardless of the value of your next contract.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Deion and the Seahawks settling in

The FO gambled that it could be cheap and now we are paying the price. We may still squeak by, but it is not a sure thing, we are a very weak and inconsistent 10-4 and have mostly lost to the few quality teams we have played. Once we hit the playoffs, its all quality teams. The Pats and their experience and character may pull it off, but its not a lock and there is no reason to be so petty about Deion and the Seahawks, or anyone else.

WOW. I didn't realize that treating him like Tom Brady and Richard Seymour (the best player on offense and defense respectively) was a slap in the face to Deion.

Nor was offering him a 5 year/$33 million extension as a starting point for negoatiations.

No one knows how high the Pats would have gone because Deion and his agent decided that negotiating in good faith wasn't in their best interest. Hell, they didn't negotiate at all. Just threw out their Ultimatum.

Now, I think that YOU need to be reminded that in April of 2006 Deion basically said that he was going to be a man and honor his contract regardless of whether or not he got a contract extension. Since you missed it, he did NOT honor his contract. There is NOTHING PETTY about acknowledging the TRUTH.

 

[DarrylS]

Re: Deion and the Seahawks settling in

WOW. I didn't realize that treating him like Tom Brady and Richard Seymour (the best player on offense and defense respectively) was a slap in the face to Deion.

Nor was offering him a 5 year/$33 million extension as a starting point for negoatiations.

No one knows how high the Pats would have gone because Deion and his agent decided that negotiating in good faith wasn't in their best interest. Hell, they didn't negotiate at all. Just threw out their Ultimatum.

Now, I think that YOU need to be reminded that in April of 2006 Deion basically said that he was going to be a man and honor his contract regardless of whether or not he got a contract extension. Since you missed it, he did NOT honor his contract. There is NOTHING PETTY about acknowledging the TRUTH.

No there is not, for so many folks Branch is viewed as the saviour who could fix this offense that has led to a 10-4 record. Branch reminds me of the Brady Bunch, substitute Marcia, Marcia, Marcia for Branch, Branch, Branch. Bottom line is he reneged on a good faith contract, and the Pats did what they had to do for the team. No one is above the concept of this team, and if they made an exception then the Pats would no longer be this team.

 

[Denism]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

Branch was a Great Player for this Team but Having Said That His Actions at the End Were Enexcusable!!

He was Contracted for Another Season yet Didn't Bother to Fullfill His Obligations to the Team, Then When The Pats Tried to Hammer out a Deal With Him, He Refused to Enter into Talks With The Club!!!

Yes, We do Miss him, But his Actions Left a Sour Taste in all Our Mouths
With BB's "Team" Philsosphy, Branch was Always gonna Go & BB is Dead Right, NO Player is Bigger than The Team

 

[patsox23]

Re: Deion and the Seahawks settling in

The FO has the best engine in the league (QB) and they felt they could surround him with bargain basement WRs much like putting 4 flat tires on a car with the best engine.

You make it sound like the Patriots FO made no effort to keep Deion and didn't make a fair, market-value offer. They did. If you think Deion's worth being the 7th-highest paid WR in the universe, good for you. But the Pats offer was MORE than fair, so it's a little short-sighted to couch it in your terms.

Givens and Branch were at, or nearing, the end of their deals. The Patriots FO brought in Caldwell, who's done well, used a high draft pick on arguably THE best WR prospect in his draft class and traded for a guy 99% of us thought was a steal from the Raiders. The idea that the F.O. should be pilloried for the situation - as though they were somehow caught unprepared - hardly seems fair.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

I'm not knocking the Pats for trading him - it was the lesser of two evils.

But I'm not sure we should be pointing fingers given what our WRs have done this season.

Branch goes over the Seahawks after sitting out the first game, and within 2 games is acclimated and a major contributor... Not necessarilly a #1 WR contributor, but a solid #2, and he also was able to "get" the offense and the routes in just a matter of games.

Here we were making excuses for our WRs - some of whom have been here since training camp - as to why its taking them so long to understand the offense etc...

Thank God Caldwell finally "got" it - too bad Gabriel never did - but I'm just not finding any solace in Branch's struggles... even though we'd be lucky to have a WR that's "struggling" like him. (But again - not knocking the team - Branch gave them no choice - and the bottom line is that he was under contract to us, and did not honor his committment)

 

[javajunky]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

This offseason, the Pats should offer a 2nd round pick for Deion. If Seattle can swallow it's pride, it would be a good deal for both sides.

Java Junky

 

[RayClay]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

This offseason, the Pats should offer a 2nd round pick for Deion. If Seattle can swallow it's pride, it would be a good deal for both sides.

Java Junky

You must be out of your mind.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

Imagine if the Pats has Branch.... they'd probably have top seed in the AFC enhancing their chances for another superbowl

 

[IcyPatriot]

Re: Deion’s fast start has fizzled.. local press getting critical

This offseason, the Pats should offer a 2nd round pick for Deion. If Seattle can swallow it's pride, it would be a good deal for both sides.

Java Junky

Seattle is stuck with him due to acceleration of the signing bonus.