Did The Branch Issue create a Wedge Between Brady And Pats FO?

[jaychamp]

Please tell me we are not in for a whole week's worth of threads like this.

Once we start winning these threads will stop. Oh wait, nevermind

 

[RayClay]

Fortunately, Dillon and Maroney hated Branch and are running with wild abandon.

They are so happy to see him gone, they're playing with tremendous fire and emotion.

I hope we don't have to trade anyone else to keep up their intensity level.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Brady has said himself that he is very emotional, and wears his heart on his sleeve. He cares very much about the game, the Pats, and his team mates.

Regardless of how it happened, who is at fault, or why, Brady appears to have a broken heart. Perhaps its missing Deion (and Willie), perhaps its the loss of his image of the perfect team, perhaps its a loss of faith in the FO and ownership, perhaps its all of the above, or something else.

If he is unable to 'just get over it', if he continues to play without fire, and passion, if its just going through the motions, what then ? Not everything that gets broken can be mended, and not everything mended is as good as new.

He is professional, and perfectionist enough not to want average to be his everyday reality and his legacy, even if his average is much better than the best of other QBs.

All we can do is wait and see what happens, and hope he can work it out.

Dear God in heaven this bullcrap amateur psychobabble has got to stop. If you want to know what a bad QB looks like watch the replay of the Dallas-Redskins game. Tommy is fine. He is trying to transition an all new WR corps with the exception of 85 year old Bingo - and even he made a poor sight adjustment on one throw today. This is a highly cerebral sight adjusted (pre and post snap) offense. Until they all see the same thing and make the correct adjustment it will be a little dicey.

Tom was just fine in the first half. And in the 4th quarter he led them on a 16 play 8 minute clock killing drive that included 3 straight 3rd down conversions on pass plays. GET A GRIP PEOPLE.

If you want to know what a really bad QB performance looks like be sure to watch the replays of the Redskins at Dallas or Miami hosting Buffalo or Denver hosting KC or Arizona visiting Seattle where you will see QB's including former probowlers or MVP's with established elite WR's absolutely suck.

 

[Ahriman]

Ugh, do we really have to suffer through this kinds of threads every week?

It's pretty simple: Brady has played like feces for the better part of the first two games. Yes, Branch being gone more than likely has had a role in Brady's poor performance. However, it's just that - a role - and nothing more. The onus is on Brady's arm here, not some psychological flib-flab about taking less money and not getting his main target resigned as a result.

Just let the man get comfortable throwing to one of these new guys before diving off the deep end and turning this whole thing into an soap opera.

 

[Drewwho]

He may be human, but Brady is also a highly-paid professional who needs to start playing, thinking, and acting like a professional. I would also recommend backing of from the constant giving of interviews. Tom plays best when he is "part of", not when he is trying to carry the team, either on or off the field.

He does the 'standard' amount of interviews during the season. 1-after the game and 1-on Wednesday. This is NFL policy for the QB's.

The Felger interview was BEFORE the season and I doubt you see him do anything aside from his standard schedule from here on in. LY he did do the Costas interview, but that was the SI Sportsman of the Year award and in that case, I think it was a good exception.

 

[brady2brown]

Can you please grace us with your superior football intelect and educate us on what is going on, since you have clearly demonstrated yourself as a mature, educated person........................................Coulkd you grow up and don't post to a thread if you don't like it.....That is the Big thing to do!!

Okay, That's it. Time for a timeout for you. Go stand in the corner for five minutes.

 

[BruschiOnTap]

Th ereality of it is, Tom has never been a selfish player. He has always put the team first ( Money, Stats etc..). If there was anyone in this league who could ask for the moon and have every one except one or two teams in the NFL ready to give it to him, it would be Brady.......Maybe this once he really wanted to keep that constant in Branch in the fold.....I can say that if Brady really wanted it, then they should have worked to get it done.I think it is important for a QB to have his favorite target, even if we don't agree. BB had to know that Brady wanted Branch back badly, Maybe Tom feels like he has given and now !!!

I've thought about it that way. Brady made it clear that he wanted Branch so for the team not to have brought him back there must have been good reason, I think Brady is pretty understanding of the nature of this business. After all, his own rise to stardom came by (rightfully) claiming a starting spot from an injured player.

I also agree with the first posting that Brady does seem a bit different in some way... but to automatically say it's the Branch situation rules out a lot of likely possibilities-- he's probably got something going on in his personal life.

 

[PatsFan-NH]

What you all seem to be missing in your denial of Brady's problems is just what he is wrestling with.

Yes its Branch and Wille and team mates he knows who are friends, but it doesn't stop there. With this action the writing is on the wall not just for Tom but for all the guys, which is probably why they are so upset. Yes they say its for Branch et al, but its also for themselves.

The other guys realize that when their contracts are up they are going to have to leave. Why, because they can get better money elsewhere and the Pats have shown they don't care and will let you go. Doesn't matter if the Pats think its overpaying, if the market supports it, thats what they will expect. Some will stay, but others won't.

Branch's departure is essentially their funeral dirge. They are sad because they were hoping they would be different and the team would keep them -- its human nature to think you are special. Branch's departure is like a wet fish in the face: doesn't matter who you are they will not pay more for you than for a cheap rookie.

The players are not playing for charity and if they can get a better deal somewhere else they will probably have to take it, and if they don't their friends will. Yes they care about the other guys, and probably know that staying with BB is the best from a football perspective, but especially if you have a couple of rings, and the Pats effectively spit in your face, you will go.

Brady is in a different situation. Much worse. Even if he can physically stay another 7 years, his talent may not last that long (can we say Brett Farve). So he has a limited amount of time to use his gift. What the Pats have basically said to him is that every couple of years he is going to have to go through this, because the receivers he is in synch with are going to leave. So he is constantly going to have to throw to scrubs. Once he gets the good ones trained they are going to be gone (Troy is the only one who has not left). The new CBA prevents teams from singing longterm rookie contracts.

The team basically said it didn't care about Brady when they did this. I think previously he really believed the BS they hand out about team, and self-sacrifice, then they turn around and say 'business' and kiss good players off.

If Brady's receivers have training wheels every other year or every two years he can kiss his chance at true record book greatness goodbye. He may not have that as a specific goal but he does want to be the best and perfect, and as his last 2 outings show, even though we won, he has not been anywhere near his level of acceptable. Its like he is having a rookie year all over again - trying to get the throws right based on different heights, speeds, etc....

And if you looked at him sitting on the bench on the sideline staring into space, there can be no doubt that he is not happy. Hell, he usually doesn't sit on the bench when he is actually in the game.

What did Peter King say, that when Brady gave his Post-Jets press conference, even though he won, he sounded like his dog had died.

Its not just us, people around the league are noticing it too.

 

[brady2brown]

The other guys realize that when their contracts are up they are going to have to leave. Why, because they can get better money elsewhere.

They don't have to leave. They can make millions here. They can make even more millions elsewhere. When they decide they have enough money to live comfortably, they can choose (as free agents) to play wherever they will be happiest. So they should not be sad at all.

If making more millions with Tennessee catching passes from Kerry Collins and losing week after week makes Givens happier than making fewer millions catching passes from Tom Brady and being a New England hero and winning more games than losing, that is his business.

But it is his free choice. He ded not "HAVE" to leave, and neither will Ty Warren or any of the others. They can decide how much money they need and how much they want to be here.

Some guys will always want 52 million rather than 49 million, no matter what team they are playing for. Some guys have more fun winning. The fact is that if you can find enough guys who want to win more than they want the extra few millions over five years, then a team can pack more good players under the cap and win more games.

Every one is happy. The guys that want the money get the money. The guys that want to pack a team with well but not extravagantly paid top-flight players get to win more games.

Why is this such a problem?

 

[pats1]

Sorry for dragging this one further, but I picked up something reading the Globe today.

Brady said something to the effect of "you can't throw four years of offense at a player in a week."

Notice how he says four years of the offense? Not 3. Not 2. Not 5. Not 15.

Who had four years of the offense under their belts?

Deion Branch and David Givens.

 

[brady2brown]

Sorry for dragging this one further, but I picked up something reading the Globe today.

Brady said something to the effect of "you can't throw four years of offense at a player in a week."

Notice how he says four years of the offense? Not 3. Not 2. Not 5. Not 15.

Who had four years of the offense under their belts?

Deion Branch and David Givens.

Sure, he was saying to expect Jackson and Gabriel to play like Branch and Givens did in their first year, not their fourth year. Not that I'd want anyone to play like Givens did in his first year, but Brady certainly is correct in that we shouldn't be comparing Jackson's first year to Branch's last year.

I'd expect Gabriel, as a sort of veteran, to be up to speed in less than a year. Jackson we can expect just what we saw yesterday. An incredible catch, a drop, and a routine catch. Mix and match these posibilites, at random throughout the game. That's what rookie WRs do. Next year expect him to be consistent.

 

[wrangler]

Things work out with time, ya think ??

 

[Bella*chick]

The team basically said it didn't care about Brady when they did this. I think previously he really believed the BS they hand out about team, and self-sacrifice, then they turn around and say 'business' and kiss good players off.

Exactly how is the "BS" about team and self-sacrifice incongruent with how the Patriots do business? You mean the megamillions Deion wanted were about "team"? The point of the FO's vision for a continuing contender is that you cannot keep players who decide that they want to cash in because it will be at the EXPENSE OF EVERYONE ELSE particularly if it is determined that their value is not what they (the player and his agent) have decided it is. In the case of Seymour and Brady, their value got their deals done.

You are acting like Deion crawled on his hands and knees asking for an extension and the Pats kicked him while he was down, spat in his face and told him to take a walk. You KNOW that is not what happened.

If you want to see what happens when a bunch of players make millions, then I direct you to the Washington Redskins. Yeah, they are all SO happy down here! The players couldn't. care. less. And they haven't won and aren't winning ****.

 

[edgecy]

First of all, I am kinda disappointed at the number of negative posts in this thread taking shots at the starter. Now back to the topic..

I think it's a combination of Deion leaving and having new set of WRs. We all say that Tom is a professional, but he's human, and I remember a time not long ago when I lost the fire for an organization when I lost a good friend in it, and it's not impossible for Tom to go through the samething. Now, I do expect him to start playing better when his WRs are getting on the same page with him.

We all know Tom would much much rather be throwing to Deion, and there's no denying that. But I think when Chad and Doug are hitting on all cylinders, they will make him forget about Deion And when that happens Tom will play much better, and it will make Dilloroney hate Chad/Doug

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Sorry for dragging this one further, but I picked up something reading the Globe today.

Brady said something to the effect of "you can't throw four years of offense at a player in a week."

Notice how he says four years of the offense? Not 3. Not 2. Not 5. Not 15.

Who had four years of the offense under their belts?

Deion Branch and David Givens.

We won back to back Superbowls when Branch and Givens had two and three years of the offense under their belts. We won while they were still in college. And we lost in two of their 4 seasons here.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN??????????????????????

It means it will take time to work the new guys in.

And for the record there were guys in that locker room who believed Deion was made a pretty fair offer, that he should have negotiated, that he should have honored his contract and that the financial discipline this FO has shown has consistently paid dividends and if they caved for this player there were guys who were going to be pissed. It's pretty clear that man love for his guy aside, Brady was one of them. Mike Florio reported several weeks ago that Brady was privately disappointed with Deion's holdout antics. In fact he was the one delivering ultimatums to his guy before the FO pulled the trigger on the trade.

Tom has spoken of learning a lesson. It's not that his FO is cheap and won't pay his buddies. It's that he cannot let himself get all tied up in knots over guys making decisions that are beyond his ability to influence, when unlike him they decide that what they want (more $$$$$$$) is what they need.

He decided a long time ago that this team is what he needs. Just like Tedy did. He is in it with this FO for the long haul and a legacy. He could make more money elsewhere, but how the hell much do you need.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I think it's always disappointing to lose a friend and a reliable player from the offense. But last night we began to see glimpses of hope. Chad Jackson's talent is unreal. He is a legit deep threat and once he finally gets this offense under his belt I think he will be even better than Deion.

 

[Flying Fungi]

Brady is not underpaid

repeat

Tom Brady is not underpaid

that is all

 

[pats-blue]

Wow a lot of Physco bable in this thread...maybe Tom's cat died, lost his lucky shirt, lost at kino or maybe he had a couple of bad games because of O line play, new receivers so the timing is off and simply some bad throws by him....he HAS made bad throws before I think...even with his "friends" playing.

I will remind everyone that the following is 2-0............

 

[RayClay]

What you all seem to be missing in your denial of Brady's problems is just what he is wrestling with.

Yes its Branch and Wille and team mates he knows who are friends, but it doesn't stop there. With this action the writing is on the wall not just for Tom but for all the guys, which is probably why they are so upset. Yes they say its for Branch et al, but its also for themselves.

The other guys realize that when their contracts are up they are going to have to leave. Why, because they can get better money elsewhere and the Pats have shown they don't care and will let you go. Doesn't matter if the Pats think its overpaying, if the market supports it, thats what they will expect. Some will stay, but others won't.

Branch's departure is essentially their funeral dirge. They are sad because they were hoping they would be different and the team would keep them -- its human nature to think you are special. Branch's departure is like a wet fish in the face: doesn't matter who you are they will not pay more for you than for a cheap rookie.

The players are not playing for charity and if they can get a better deal somewhere else they will probably have to take it, and if they don't their friends will. Yes they care about the other guys, and probably know that staying with BB is the best from a football perspective, but especially if you have a couple of rings, and the Pats effectively spit in your face, you will go.

Brady is in a different situation. Much worse. Even if he can physically stay another 7 years, his talent may not last that long (can we say Brett Farve). So he has a limited amount of time to use his gift. What the Pats have basically said to him is that every couple of years he is going to have to go through this, because the receivers he is in synch with are going to leave. So he is constantly going to have to throw to scrubs. Once he gets the good ones trained they are going to be gone (Troy is the only one who has not left). The new CBA prevents teams from singing longterm rookie contracts.

The team basically said it didn't care about Brady when they did this. I think previously he really believed the BS they hand out about team, and self-sacrifice, then they turn around and say 'business' and kiss good players off.

If Brady's receivers have training wheels every other year or every two years he can kiss his chance at true record book greatness goodbye. He may not have that as a specific goal but he does want to be the best and perfect, and as his last 2 outings show, even though we won, he has not been anywhere near his level of acceptable. Its like he is having a rookie year all over again - trying to get the throws right based on different heights, speeds, etc....

And if you looked at him sitting on the bench on the sideline staring into space, there can be no doubt that he is not happy. Hell, he usually doesn't sit on the bench when he is actually in the game.

What did Peter King say, that when Brady gave his Post-Jets press conference, even though he won, he sounded like his dog had died.

Its not just us, people around the league are noticing it too.

They hate Brady. Seymour too.

They're trying to get rid of everybody because they think they're so smart they can win another Super Bowl without players.

Yes, I can hear that funeral dirge

Swing Low Sweet Chaaariooot Coming for to carry me home.

Swiiiing Low Sweet Chaaariooot Coming for to carry me home.

 

[Flying Fungi]

What you all seem to be missing in your denial of Brady's problems is just what he is wrestling with.

Yes its Branch and Wille and team mates he knows who are friends, but it doesn't stop there. With this action the writing is on the wall not just for Tom but for all the guys, which is probably why they are so upset. Yes they say its for Branch et al, but its also for themselves.

The other guys realize that when their contracts are up they are going to have to leave. Why, because they can get better money elsewhere and the Pats have shown they don't care and will let you go. Doesn't matter if the Pats think its overpaying, if the market supports it, thats what they will expect. Some will stay, but others won't.

Branch's departure is essentially their funeral dirge. They are sad because they were hoping they would be different and the team would keep them -- its human nature to think you are special. Branch's departure is like a wet fish in the face: doesn't matter who you are they will not pay more for you than for a cheap rookie.

The players are not playing for charity and if they can get a better deal somewhere else they will probably have to take it, and if they don't their friends will. Yes they care about the other guys, and probably know that staying with BB is the best from a football perspective, but especially if you have a couple of rings, and the Pats effectively spit in your face, you will go.

Brady is in a different situation. Much worse. Even if he can physically stay another 7 years, his talent may not last that long (can we say Brett Farve). So he has a limited amount of time to use his gift. What the Pats have basically said to him is that every couple of years he is going to have to go through this, because the receivers he is in synch with are going to leave. So he is constantly going to have to throw to scrubs. Once he gets the good ones trained they are going to be gone (Troy is the only one who has not left). The new CBA prevents teams from singing longterm rookie contracts.

The team basically said it didn't care about Brady when they did this. I think previously he really believed the BS they hand out about team, and self-sacrifice, then they turn around and say 'business' and kiss good players off.

If Brady's receivers have training wheels every other year or every two years he can kiss his chance at true record book greatness goodbye. He may not have that as a specific goal but he does want to be the best and perfect, and as his last 2 outings show, even though we won, he has not been anywhere near his level of acceptable. Its like he is having a rookie year all over again - trying to get the throws right based on different heights, speeds, etc....

And if you looked at him sitting on the bench on the sideline staring into space, there can be no doubt that he is not happy. Hell, he usually doesn't sit on the bench when he is actually in the game.

What did Peter King say, that when Brady gave his Post-Jets press conference, even though he won, he sounded like his dog had died.

Its not just us, people around the league are noticing it too.

normally i don't like to pile on, but this post reeks of a lack of understanding of the NFL as a business, of the New England Patriots as a model franchise, of Tom Brady as the consummate professional...and furthermore...as a Nashua native...you're making my hometown look bad...