PFT:League Consensus:Branch wants to much green

[R_T26]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

 

[mgcolby]

PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Based on our discussion with various league insiders regarding the permission that Patriots receiver Deion Branch has received to seek out a trade, it seems pretty clear to us that no one will be willing to pony up the kind of money that would prompt Branch to spurn the Pats permanently.
As one league source told us, the price tag for signing Branch is "probably too high for anyone."
A big part of the problem is that any team interested in Branch will be required to pay the player and compensate the club. Though there are reports that the Pats want two first-rounders, we find that hard to believe. New England's goal here isn't to give Branch a chance to leave and then block it by making a ridiculous trade demand; the objective is to allow Branch to see that the offer made by the Patriots isn't out of step with his market value.​

Looks like the Pats most likely won by calling his hand. I still don't want to root for the moron!​

 

[mgcolby]

You beat me while I was copying and pasting most of the blurb. I guess I should delete it before the thread nazi's show up.

 

[Kdo5]

Fact, he does want too much green. I'm sure there are a few desperate teams who would overpay him but they wouldnt be dumb enough to give two 1st rounder away.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

My initial reaction to the trade permission was for Branch and his agent to find out what his market value was, I never thought that the Patriots had ended the relationship. Hopefully Branch figures out that we offered him a very nice contract and he re-signs with us. No matter what we've seen in the preseason, we are easily a better team with him.

No bitterness from me if he comes back. A simple, "You screwed up, now go help us win another Super Bowl" will be fine with me.

 

[R_T26]

How can you not root for Branch if he comes back. holdouts happen all the time, you cant have bitterness. i do remember ben watson and seymour holding out as well.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

You beat me while I was copying and pasting most of the blurb. I guess I should delete it before the thread nazi's show up.

No harm... nice gentle thread merge. No yellin' ...everybody gellin'.

 

[PatsMan26]

I agree, anyone who doesnt cheer for Branch when he comes back is out of line. This crap happens every year. We will forget by 8:37 of the 1st quarter in week 1.

 

[PlattsFan]

I'll root for Deion the moment he comes back, just as Bill Belichick will put him in the moment he comes back.

It's just business. His agent misplayed it ... it's nothing more than that.

 

[mgcolby]

No harm... nice gentle thread merge. No yellin' ...everybody gellin'.

I was actually in your packers thread to see if you were there and I was going to ask you to merge them. But you took care of it before I got the chance to ask.

You're all over it T

 

[sarge]

I just want to see the dude come back.

This little blurb from pft doesn't mean anything.

I'll certainly root for him.

But considering he said in the offseason he would honor his contract with or without an extension, I will certainly view him differently.

I'm not convinced we will see him in a Pats uniform any earlier then week ten, if at all this season!

 

[mgcolby]

How many people held out this season? 2 that were under contract! One was pissed because he lost his job and the other is just a wine ass who overvalue's himself. And no it is not business! If it was business he would have counter offered like any GOOD business man would! I will celebrate the end results of his plays (if its good) but not for him specifically.

How can anyone compare Seymour's situation to Branch's? Seymour showed up for the charity golf tournament and kept everything private and refused to talk to the media about it, not to mention he is arguably the best DL in the league. Branch isn't mentioned in the same breath with the best WR. Seymour also kept the communication lines open and accepted a moderate bump in pay with the understanding that a long term deal would get done, that is what reasonable people do. Branch is a douche-nozzle, IMO!

 

[fgssand]

How can you not root for Branch if he comes back. holdouts happen all the time, you cant have bitterness. i do remember ben watson and seymour holding out as well.

When he returns, I for one will certainly cheer loud and long for the guy. I feel our chances of having a totally dominant offense are greatly enhanced with Mr Branch as our #1 WR. Just think how this offense will look with him out there every game.

I do not blame the guy for trying to maximize his earnings. I feel badly for him that he made what may turn out to be the worst choice in agents ever. I actually think his staying loyal to Jason demonstrates even more so that Deion is a straight up guy. What I see here is a confused individual pledging misguided blind faith to an incompetent player agent.

I also think BB/SP realize these things as well. Their unorthodox way of enabling his agent to find a deal proves just that. They had to come up with a way to show Deion his agent has no clue and has reached a bit too far on his behalf. Maybe, just maybe, their ploy will work and Deion will wake up and either fire his agent or take over and insist he gets a deal done.

I still stand by my original Deion comes back date of 9/2.

 

[MrTibbs]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

My initial reaction to the trade permission was for Branch and his agent to find out what his market value was, I never thought that the Patriots had ended the relationship. Hopefully Branch figures out that we offered him a very nice contract and he re-signs with us. No matter what we've seen in the preseason, we are easily a better team with him.

No bitterness from me if he comes back. A simple, "You screwed up, now go help us win another Super Bowl" will be fine with me.

Why does everyone keep attacking Branch? He goes by the advice of his agent, thats what he pays the guy to do good or bad. Maybe Deion is just too nice of a guy to fire his greedy @$$.

 

[mgcolby]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Why does everyone keep attacking Branch? He goes by the advice of his agent, thats what he pays the guy to do good or bad. Maybe Deion is just too nice of a guy to fire his greedy @$$.

He should demand a refund and go buy a fortune cookie, it would give him better advice!

Why do you give a grown man with a college education a free pass on this? This isn't rocket science it is common sense.

If your lawyer told you to plead guilty to something that you know you are not guilty of, would you do it?

 

[smg93]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Why does everyone keep attacking Branch? He goes by the advice of his agent, thats what he pays the guy to do good or bad. Maybe Deion is just too nice of a guy to fire his greedy @$$.

That's like the Tail wagging the dog. He hired his agent and ultimately he is the decision maker.

As for if I would cheer for him when he came back, I totally would but it would be a little more muted than before. Time heals all wounds however and if he becomes the Deion we all knew and loved, then things may change in the future... At least until the next go round of contract talks.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Why does everyone keep attacking Branch? He goes by the advice of his agent, thats what he pays the guy to do good or bad. Maybe Deion is just too nice of a guy to fire his greedy @$$.

So, your defense is that The Twig is a gutless wimp?

 

[Ichiro]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Why do you give a grown man with a college education a free pass on this? This isn't rocket science it is common sense.

That was my first reaction but read this article I found:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft05/news/story?id=2032249

Some of these agents are real snakes. I seriously think some agents have no ethics. They act like a player's best friend and the one person in the world who wants best for them. They get a guy and milk him for all he's worth, usually disregarding what might be good for a player in the long run.

I think this is a very complicated issue with multiple ego's involved. I think I understand both Branch and the Patriots front office and their motives. Chayut, on the other hand, is the wild card. I think he sees Branch, his top client, as the player who he is going to earn his reputation on. Getting a big contract for Branch could be the spark that sends his agency into the big-time (a la Drew Rosenhaus) and he will go to any length (including putting Deion in a bad situation) to do that.

 

[PatsFan37]

Re: PFT:league Consensus -- Branch Wants Too Much Green

Good article, Ichiro.

One the second page, the writer quotes one of the college players, who is talking about his agent:

"I think agents are still coming after me, but I'm comfortable with Dave and I'm not changing anything," says Williamson, who turned pro a year early to help his mother, who raised 11 children as a single parent. "I know the person I've selected is the person I want to be with."

The fans that won't forgive Branch holding out have forgotten the world some of these players come from, the extended families they're planning to support. Branch is looking at his one chance, his one contract, to pay off years of hard work.

If you want a 'take no prisoners' attitude on the field, would you expect any less in business? And why would it be wrong for them to place their first loyalty with their family? The teammates understand and so should we.

Branch's mistake was letting his agent choose a losing strategy. Not in having a strategy or in negotiating hard.

When he's back in a Patriot's uniform, which I hope will be soon, I'll cheer just as loud as I ever did.

 

[DaBruinz]

How can you not root for Branch if he comes back. holdouts happen all the time, you cant have bitterness. i do remember ben watson and seymour holding out as well.

Ben Watson "held" out because his agent, Tom Condon, tried to play hardball. What resolved the situation? Watson firing Condon and signing with the Patriots because he didn't care if he signed a 5 or 6 year deal. Up until Watson fired Condon, I think that Watson was being kept in the dark by Condon, honestly.

Seymour held out because he is a perennial All-Pro who had TRULY outplayed his contract. Deion Branch is NOT a perennial All-Pro and no one has truly convinced me that he's out-played his contract. Not when the guy has yet to have a full season without being coddled and not when the guy hasn't scored more than 5 TDs in a season.

My BIGGEST fear with paying Branch an extension in the 6 million range is that he will disappear because he can't handle the double-teams.