Deion Branch back with the Patriots

[TheBostonStraggler]

Lloyd wasn't signed primarily for making good looking sideline catches.....I want to see him making long strides open downfield heading to the end zone.

Lloyd is supposed to be the downfield threat and touchdown bomb which is what I would hope to see more often than 'pretty' 15 yard sideline catches.

Agreed. Not that I mind seeing him make pretty sideline catches but it is a big + for the Patriots O to see him catching deep balls (not just for the big gain/score, also what it does to the opposing safeties psyches). That was part of the plan for BL (or at least I assumed it was).

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Lloyd wasn't signed primarily for making good looking sideline catches.....I want to see him making long strides open downfield heading to the end zone.

Lloyd is supposed to be the downfield threat and touchdown bomb which is what I would hope to see more often than 'pretty' 15 yard sideline catches.

You're mistaken. That really isn't who Lloyd is. He's not a burner or an elite deep threat. His forte isn't beating coverage or even getting wide open, it's making the contested catch in coverage outside the numbers. He will occasionally stretch the field vertically, but mostly he will stretch it horizontally. And occasionally he will positively blow the gimme.

That also isn't who we are. Lloyd isn't a #1 receiving option here, at least when there are two healthy TE's on the field, although Josh has seemed intent on forcing the issue out of the gate. Possibly to speed up the process. Possibly to avoid potential issues. He's never been successful as a cog in the wheel player. His professed love for Josh centers around usage. Josh never had to balance his against two all world TE's. Although going forward for some time that won't be the case. But what will be is doing whatever it takes to win because the games count now.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

i wish gaffney didnt get hurt... i think he would have been a better option at this point.. but brady trust branch more than welker so we shall see... glad they brought someone back at least

 

[Rob0729]

Lloyd wasn't signed primarily for making good looking sideline catches.....I want to see him making long strides open downfield heading to the end zone.

Lloyd is supposed to be the downfield threat and touchdown bomb which is what I would hope to see more often than 'pretty' 15 yard sideline catches.

Deep threats are overrated. You need a guy that has the potential to be a deep threat to keep opposing defenses honest, but you don't actually need them to be a consistent deep threat. Outside threats are far more important.

Unless you have an elite deep threat WR, it isn't really important. And as MoLewis pointed out, Lloyd is not a deep threat WR in the traditional sense.

 

[Rob0729]

BTW, glad to see Branch back. This is now the best WR corp the Pats have had since probably 2009, maybe 2008 since Moss started to decline on the tail end of 2009.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Been there, done that.
Irrelevant.

 

[resdubwhite]

Been there, done that.
Irrelevant.

Don't put yourself down.
I still think you're great.

 

[Bassman]

I don't want to see many long passes in a game considering the fact Brady is terrible at it.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Don't put yourself down.
I still think you're great.

I am great. Thanks for noticing.

BTW, Branch stinks. If he wasn't Brady's binky would they sign him??
No other team in the NFL is interested.

 

[Sicilian]

I am great. Thanks for noticing.

BTW, Branch stinks. If he wasn't Brady's binky would they sign him??
No other team in the NFL is interested.

And yet he had over 700 yards as the 4th option in a top offense last year. Go figure. I wish I "stunk" like that.

The fact that no other team is interested is what's actually irrelevant, because on this team he can still contribute.

 

[Rob0729]

Been there, done that.
Irrelevant.

I disagee. Branch may not be a starter anymore, but he can be a top WR off the bench. He is usually money on third downs. If he can come in for 30-50% of the plays every week, he can make an impact as a role player. I think he is excellent depth especially if the 4 and 5 wide sets are going to have one TE rather than two.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think a lot of you are undervaluing Branch. This is great news. He has a ton of familiarity with the offense, should be healthier than he normally would be around this time, and can come in and make an immediate impact. He should have never been cut in the first place.

It looks like my sentiments in the Winslow thread are correct. The Pats are planning on giving their opponents more three wide looks for the time being until Winslow gets up to speed with the playbook.

 

[TheBeers]

This is great news IMO.

Branch looked pretty good in preseason, still ran great routes. Appeared to still run pretty well. We know he and Tom have the mind meld and Branch will still catch just about everything. We don't need him to be a superstar, we just need him to move the chains a couple times per game.

 

[BradyManny]

It looks like my sentiments in the Winslow thread are correct. The Pats are planning on giving their opponents more three wide looks for the time being until Winslow gets up to speed with the playbook.

Even if they want to run 2TE2WR as the base, they a) need a better WR2 than Edelman if they plan to keep Welker out of that set (Branch) b) need a legitimate backup to Lloyd in the case of injury (Branch). So I think this addresses both short and long term need. As you said, they probably never should've cut him in the first place.

 

[BrickPat]

Branch was a non factor or disappeared for games at a time last season despite being familiar / experienced in the system. Hopefully the cut reprieve will give him added motivation.

 

[upstater1]

Re: Branch back

Branch was a non factor or disappeared for games at a time last season despite being familiar / experienced in the system. Hopefully the cut reprieve will give him added motivation.

Branch played injured.

In the Super Bowl, when the Patriots were down by more than a field goal with barely any time left on the clock, Brady targeted him 3 different times, and all three times Branch was wide open. Brady made a bad throw once when Branch was 20 yards downfield, then Branch picked up the first down on 4th and 15, etc.

So, you'll have to tell me why/how Branch was getting wide open at the most crucial part of the entire season, and why Brady was looking for Branch in the most dire situation you can imagine on a football field.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

lloyd was clutch on his two catches on the sidelines..one was on 3rd i think...he is great at keeping the feet in making a diving catch

BTM, Agreed! Plus Brady is a happy camper now.

Per ESPN Boston :

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Deion Branch is one of Tom Brady's favorite targets, so it's no surprise the Patriots quarterback was ecstatic upon hearing the news of Branch's return to the team.

“Deion has been a great player here for a long time," Brady said Wednesday. "It’s always great to see him back, I was hoping it would happen.”

 

[goheels22002]

Re: Branch back

As the leading receiver in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, Hernandez going down was a tremendous loss.

Branch is a big lift for the passing game. Branch, Welker, Lloyd and Gronkowski make four sure-handed targets for Brady to work with. This was always what I'd hoped would be the grouping with Hernandez.

These guys will keep the Ravens' DBs focused on the passing game, opening up opportunities to run the ball, which in turn keeps the Ravens' aggressive LBs honest.

It looks like more of a fair fight with Branch back.

 

[BrickPat]

Re: Branch back

Branch played injured.

In the Super Bowl, when the Patriots were down by more than a field goal with barely any time left on the clock, Brady targeted him 3 different times, and all three times Branch was wide open. Brady made a bad throw once when Branch was 20 yards downfield, then Branch picked up the first down on 4th and 15, etc.

So, you'll have to tell me why/how Branch was getting wide open at the most crucial part of the entire season, and why Brady was looking for Branch in the most dire situation you can imagine on a football field.

You'll have to tell me why BB didn't factor this into the equation when he cut him. Apparently every other team in the NFL didn't see it either when his phone didn't ring. I like the signing as depth insurance and will be happy to admit being wrong if he plays much better this season.

 

[BrickPat]

BTM, Agreed! Plus Brady is a happy camper now.

Per ESPN Boston :

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Deion Branch is one of Tom Brady's favorite targets, so it's no surprise the Patriots quarterback was ecstatic upon hearing the news of Branch's return to the team.

“Deion has been a great player here for a long time," Brady said Wednesday. "It’s always great to see him back, I was hoping it would happen.”

I don't think that had anything to do with it considering that Brady has given similarly glowing praise about Welker.