Branch wanted in the neighborhood of 7M per year. Instead of caving in we got a 2007 1st rounder.
I have a feeling with the great increases in the cap that by the 2007 draft Branch's salary demands aren't going to look the least bit out of line.
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Branch wanted in the neighborhood of 7M per year. Instead of caving in we got a 2007 1st rounder.
Not so fast -
I wouldn't trade Caldwell or C. Jackson for Givens.
Going beyond those two it's an unfair comparison, since Givens is a #2.
I'll make this short and very likely not-so-sweet:
....
So let's please stop the LIE that is the coupling of Branch with Givens. It's ridiculous, baseless and silly.
...
Not so fast -
I wouldn't trade Caldwell or C. Jackson for Givens.
Going beyond those two it's an unfair comparison, since Givens is a #2.
Branch is a totally legit "loss," but Givens is not since he's been ably replaced by Caldwell.
Can we please try to stay on point?
Instead of "ably", how about "marginally"?
Well, except for the fact that in Branch's absence Givens averaged just under 5 receptions per game for an insane 19+ yards per average (38 catches for 739 yards) and put up 4 100+ yard games. In 14 games this year Reche is averaging just under 4 receptions per game for 11.5 yards per average (53 catches for 611 yards) and he's had 1 100+ yard game. In fact in the last two weeks he's only managed a total of 7 receptions for 34 yards.
And then there were Givens playoff performances. Maybe you should just review his Pat's bio - and then we can all hope he didn't set the post season bar too high for Reche.
"Career Highlights
Givens enjoyed a successful 2004 season, leading the Patriots with career-high 56 receptions and 874 yards. He was also able to stretch the field, with 14 receptions of 20 yards or more, including a season-best 50-yard catch against St. Louis (11/07/04).
Givens caught a touchdown pass in each of the Patriots’ three postseason games in 2004, including a 4-yard touchdown grab in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Givens exceeded 100 receiving yards in four games in 2004, the most by a Patriot in a single season in six years, dating back to when Terry Glenn also did it four times in 1999.
Givens became the Patriots’ all-time postseason leader for touchdown receptions (5) in 2004, surpassing Stanley Morgan (3).
Givens was a key part of the Patriots offense in the 2003 postseason, tying Troy Brown for the team lead with 17 receptions and leading the squad with two touchdowns.
Givens enjoyed a solid 2003 season in his second year as a pro. He led the team with seven touchdowns and finished second on the squad with 510 receiving yards. He was also a deep threat, catching nine passes of 20 yards or more.
Givens made a big impact in the Patriots’ victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He caught a 5-yard touchdown pass to give New England a 14-7 lead just before halftime, then grabbed two passes for a total of 43 yards on the Patriots’ key fourth-quarter touchdown drive that erased a one-point deficit and gave them a 29-22 lead late in the game.
Givens led the team in receptions in New England’s first two postseason games in 2003 – against Tennessee (4 catches) in the divisional playoffs and against Indianapolis (8 catches) in the AFC Championship Game."
And I wasn't going to even mention the disparities between the two this year!
Givens: Rec-8 Yds-104 TD-0 (of course, he's been hurt-but wasn;t that the rap before on Caldwell?)
Caldwell Rec-53 Tds-611 TD-3 for 16% of the price of Givens! (According to Miguel, his 2006 cap hit is $906k)
Please tell us how the Titans front office feels compared to the Pats front office on this one?
I would not have paid Givens what the Titans paid him. On that, I think most of us are in agreement.
However, I strongly disagree that Caldwell = Givens. Reliability, strength, explosion, blocking, YAC - you name it, and Givens is superior.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
A classic example of a straw man argument.
Your post could be used as an example in the Wikipedia article on the topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man_argument#rhetorical_use
I suppose Givens' TD catches in 8 straight postseason games meant nothing: I guess those were a delusion too.
Okay, the point is moot.Argue something legitimate.
Givens was a cog in the wheel. Do the Patriots have a WR this year you could say that about? Caldwell? If so, with Branch and Givens gone, I'd say we're down 1 when it comes to cogs. You probably don't win a super bowl with ANY missing cogs. It's too bad because the rest of the team looks super bowl worthy this year.Now THERE'S a straw man argument. NOBODY is saying that. You guys are getting so defensive of the guy, like we're totally running him down and saying he was no good whatsoever. Give me a break. Argue something legitimate.
I would not have paid Givens what the Titans paid him. On that, I think most of us are in agreement.
However, I strongly disagree that Caldwell = Givens. Reliability, strength, explosion, blocking, YAC - you name it, and Givens is superior.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
A well written analysis of the situation as I see it when trying to breakdown tape. While the WR corps is still developing and fitting into this offense, Brady himself has had alternate targets in the backs and TEs who can get the job done. There is enough anecdotal evidence to show Tommy off target just enough to make things difficult for receivers he has some familiarity with - hopefully this will improve. I won't speculate as to a cause, we're unlikely to ever know.There's a chicken and egg problem here, and it's easy to blame his loss of receivers, but last years receivers were nothing special and those same receivers are terrible with other teams. I'm beginning to suspect that while the downgrade of his receivers is real, Brady's performance has taken a disproportionate drop. Maybe it's the disruption of the change, maybe he really is injured, maybe he's just having an off year, but I think there may be a Brady factor as well this year.
My guess and hope is that it's the disruption; it may be as simple as bad luck due to the extraordinary number of turnovers this year. I'd like to believe Brady will step up his game and again carry the offense despite not having great receivers. But I wouldn't bet on it. Our best hope is with our defense and our extraordinary special teams -- and that on offense the turnovers regress to the mean, Watson, Maroney, and O'C return, Graham stays healthy, and Dillon steps up his game in the playoffs.