Help me on this Branch thing.

[JR4]

If PATs, as rumored from a few good sources, want two 1st round picks, then
why didn't BB/SP offer Branch a contract worthy of a player worth two
1st round picks?

The only explanation I can come up is they let Branch go find a trade
with no intention of letting him go unless they got absurd compensation.
In other words unless they got an offer they just couldn't refuse.

So if you are Branch and you get an offer for say 6.5M/yr for 6 years but
PATs have made there demands so high no team will go for it,
...... how do you feel?

I would be very very angry. Wouldn't you.
I would think those guys are not just good business men they are rats.
Even if Branch signs with PATs ... I just can't see how he is going to
forget this ... and his attitude in the locker room would suck is my guess.

Hey Branch didn't do right in my book but you expect the guy in the
white hat to be the good guy and have a higher standard.

Help me ... is there anyway to look at this that makes BB/SP look good
or have they good too far in this thing?

 

[PonyExpress]

Simple. They are treating Branch as a franchised player. The compensarion for a franchised player is 2 first rd picks. They are willing to pay him as a franchised player: over 6 million a year.

 

[jaychamp]

I look at it as the Patriots want what Branch thinks he is worth, not what the Patriots think he is worth. You know, "You think you're this good, let's see if we can get what you think you are worth".

 

[JR4]

Simple. They are treating Branch as a franchised player. The compensarion for a franchised player is 2 first rd picks. They are willing to pay him as a franchised player: over 6 million a year.

No one knows if PATs would franchise him next year.
He certainly is not worth two 1st round picks and no one ... even the at PATs ... think he is worth two 1st round picks ... but that is what they
demand ... and that is what seems unfair or hypocritical.

 

[patsfan55]

No one knows if PATs would franchise him next year.
He certainly is not worth two 1st round picks and no one ... even the at PATs ... think he is worth two 1st round picks ... but that is what they
demand ... and that is what seems unfair or hypocritical.

ya im really fed up with the way both parties have handled the situation

 

[mcbee]

No one knows if PATs would franchise him next year.
He certainly is not worth two 1st round picks and no one ... even the at PATs ... think he is worth two 1st round picks ... but that is what they
demand ... and that is what seems unfair or hypocritical.

It does seem odd. Give him a taste of freedom and then snatch it away! If they demand 2 #1s, obviously they had no intention of trading him. It's like letting a prisoner peak over the fence at the countryside just to yank him back in.

So now Branch is even more bitter.

Maybe the Jets did it just to screw with them...they know NE would want at least a late round #1 equiv price for him.

Branch does NE no good now...just a distraction.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

What I honestly thought would happen was if Branch got a legitimate offer from a team that wasn't trying to screw the Pats (Jets, etc), then BB would tell Branch the contract offered was the best he could get and negotiate down from that. I always thought a Seahawks' offer would be Branch's counteroffer. I guess Chayut wants to shoot for the moon.

 

[QuiGon]

If PATs, as rumored from a few good sources, want two 1st round picks, then
why didn't BB/SP offer Branch a contract worthy of a player worth two
1st round picks?

Because they are under no obligation to do so. If you have an employee who is great, and he's under contract for $1,000,000 are you just going to go up to him, pat him on the back and say "here's an extra $20 mil..!!" No, of course you aren't.

Help me ... is there anyway to look at this that makes BB/SP look good or have they good too far in this thing?

They look good by standing up to a greedy WR, and don't fool yourself: This sort of thing will pay INCREDIBLE dividends down the road. Other players are going to know they don't want to f*ck with the Pats.

 

[RAWKY]

If PATs, as rumored from a few good sources, want two 1st round picks, then
why didn't BB/SP offer Branch a contract worthy of a player worth two
1st round picks?

The only explanation I can come up is they let Branch go find a trade
with no intention of letting him go unless they got absurd compensation.
In other words unless they got an offer they just couldn't refuse.

Actually there is another explanation....Branch was refusing to counter the Pat's offers. He was refusing to express his desires or wants or even his needs.When one refuses to talk to you issues can never be resolved.

So the Pat's forced the issues to come out onto the table with their move to allow him to seek a trade.

Yes the Pat's may have wanted two first round picks for him as per a franchised player but that is an asking price ....no one has ever gotten it and no one ever expects to get it....it is a begining stance from which either the team and the player come to agreement or the team decides to trade that player for some lower figure.....

What this move has done is flush out the fact that it is not about the money for if Branch would accept the Jets offer which was not that much more then the Pat's last offer it tells us that BRANCH NO LONGER WANTS TO BE A PATRITOT.

So now we will have to hold him hostage until someone comes up with an offer we will accept.

 

[JR4]

Because they are under no obligation to do so. If you have an employee who is great, and he's under contract for $1,000,000 are you just going to go up to him, pat him on the back and say "here's an extra $20 mil..!!" No, of course you aren't.
They look good by standing up to a greedy WR, and don't fool yourself: This sort of thing will pay INCREDIBLE dividends down the road. Other players are going to know they don't want to f*ck with the Pats.

All of that is fine and good position. What doesn't make sense is to
make an overture to Branch to Allow him to seek a trade knowing
no trade will take place because your demands are so high no one will
accept. That does not seem right to me.
Better to keep you mouth shut and and let Branch come back in week 10.
This only serves to create more bad feeling between both sides.
It's a circus show and not what you expect from the guy in the white hat.
One could even make a case that it was sort of underhanded.

 

[QuiGon]

All of that is fine and good position. What doesn't make sense is to
make an overture to Branch to Allow him to seek a trade knowing
no trade will take place because your demands are so high no one will
accept. That does not seem right to me.
Better to keep you mouth shut and and let Branch come back in week 10.
This only serves to create more bad feeling between both sides.

Where's the part from the past few months that makes you think the pats are even remotely worried about Deion Branch having hard feelings..?

It's a circus show and not what you expect from the guy in the white hat.
One could even make a case that it was sort of underhanded.

No moreso than holding out when you are under contract. Besides, nobody knows what the jets offered the Pats so you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

If the Jets offered up their #1 pick next year, the Pats would have jumped on it! (Because it will be most likely be the #1 pick in the draft!).

Branch has to remember that he is a fragile 5' 9" reciever with good speed. He does not have the size of a Owens or even a Harrison.

I like Branch, I love his quickness, but he would not be so good catching passes from Noodlearm.

 

[Pats726]

All of that is fine and good position. What doesn't make sense is to
make an overture to Branch to Allow him to seek a trade knowing
no trade will take place because your demands are so high no one will
accept. That does not seem right to me.
Better to keep you mouth shut and and let Branch come back in week 10.
This only serves to create more bad feeling between both sides.
It's a circus show and not what you expect from the guy in the white hat.
One could even make a case that it was sort of underhanded.

Well..I think that is the message to Deion that he could be Franchised..and THAT is what the compensation is. I think they are treating it like that..and why shouldn't they?? HE is under contract to the Patriots and they based their roster moves and off season preperation on the fact that he was under contract and expected to play. SO WHY should ANY player be given ANY break at all in breakig that contract?? Most players who wanted out would play and become a FA by the rules...DB has chosen NOT to do that at all. He is like a 2 year old whining and having temper tantrums. The 2 1st round picks is fair and reasonable given the fact he is under contract here and messing the team up by his holdout. HE and Chuyut have not negotiated in good faith at all and there has to be some penalty for players that do things like this. Does it not seem right that Deion is not in camp?? SO a team does NOT in anyway HAVE to let a player do anything..THIS move by the Patriots was certainly fair..they have negotiated and have NO obligation to given he is under contract. As far as week 10 goes, he will be inactive the rest of the year. And if he acts up?? I expect him to be suspended..plain and simple.

 

[JR4]

Where's the part from the past few months that makes you think the pats are even remotely worried about Deion Branch having hard feelings..?.........

Didn't say PATs were worried about it ... it's just that if this move by
PATs is perceived by Branch as underhanded ... then even if he returns
he would be bitter I would guess. not a good situation.
maybe it would have been better to just wait him out ... wait until week 10
.... what did PATs really hope to gain by this. Certainly it seems they
do not have a more willing Branch and Agent to deal with .... in fact probably
quite the opposite ... considering the greivence filed.
Hind sight is great ... now it seems like a bad move by BB/SP. IMO

 

[arrellbee]

If PATs, as rumored from a few good sources, want two 1st round picks, then
why didn't BB/SP offer Branch a contract worthy of a player worth two
1st round picks?

The only explanation I can come up is they let Branch go find a trade
with no intention of letting him go unless they got absurd compensation.
In other words unless they got an offer they just couldn't refuse.

So if you are Branch and you get an offer for say 6.5M/yr for 6 years but
PATs have made there demands so high no team will go for it,
...... how do you feel?

I would be very very angry. Wouldn't you.
I would think those guys are not just good business men they are rats.
Even if Branch signs with PATs ... I just can't see how he is going to
forget this ... and his attitude in the locker room would suck is my guess.

Hey Branch didn't do right in my book but you expect the guy in the
white hat to be the good guy and have a higher standard.

Help me ... is there anyway to look at this that makes BB/SP look good
or have they good too far in this thing?

Well, the first thing you have to realize is that the Patriots don't have to pay him equivalent to a player that is worth 2 first round picks because they already have him under contract. There is no 'fair' in football. But it could be argued that the Patriots already did their fair share when they drafted Branch as a smallish WR in the second round and paid him a second round signing bonus - all at their risk.

Are you sure 2 first round picks are absurd ?? Prime example might be the Lions. Don't you think they would be much better off now if they had given up two first round draft picks to get a proven productive receiver like Branch ? I don't see how you can answer that question in any other way than that they would be much better off. There are plenty of other teams that would have come out at least as well by offering 2 first round picks - David Terrell comes to mind and I'm sure folks can fill in plenty of other examples. After all, picking a WR in the first round who will be one of the top 15 WR in the league is, by my guess, much less than a 50/50 proposition.

Not only that, but it might well be the case that the Patriots would have settled for even just one 1st round pick if it was high enough - in fact, apparently that was reported (whether there was any credibility to it or not). I think you are reaching to be critical of the Patriots if you don't (can't) know if they would have actually traded for a 'reasonable' compensation. As I have said, I don't think a high 1st round pick is at all unreasonable in terms of what teams can expect if they use a 1st round pick themselves.

I would think those guys are not just good business men they are rats.

Are you using any sense at all in thinking what would happen to the Pats if they gave in to Branch's demand to renegotiate a contract before it was up AND demand to be paid more than he deserves in terms of his ranking in his position ?? You would be embroiled with every player in the same situation for years to come. You could never shut Pandora's box. And you could kiss goodbye a stable roster of productive players at a price that let's you build a deep capable roster. Are you really a Pats fan or are you just a player advocate in disguise ?? THINK !!

Even if Branch signs with PATs ... I just can't see how he is going to
forget this ... and his attitude in the locker room would suck is my guess.

Belichick is the ultimate pragmatist. He doesn't tilt at unknown windmills and he certainly doesn't try to fix problems that may or may not occur. If Branch is STUPID enough to not perform, Belichick will deal with that however he has to. Period. And it really would be STUPID, wouldn't it ?? ?? When he is wanting other teams to value him highly enough to give him top 10 WR dollars ? It would be just STUPID of him to spite the Patriots at his own expense. But, after what has been going on, maybe he is ...... (much as I have really liked Branch's demeanor all along).

I REALLY hope that Branch will come to the conclusion that he (and/or his agent) gave it the best shot and gracefully come back and perform. There is every indication that the Pats hold no grudges and that he has NOT burned any bridges at this point. In fact, I would even expect, contrary to a lot of posters, that it would be the furthest thing from Belichick's mind to 'punish' Branch if he didn't report until the 10th week. My estimation is that Belichick would simply use Branch as a productive player as soon as he could. I am convinced that Belichick is one of the most pragmatic folks I have ever seen. Or to put it into the popular vernacular - "It is what it is".