Another exciting night Monday night, after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots have acquired former Patriot receiver Deion Branch in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 4th round pick.
The Boston Globe has the story, and according to the newspaper once Branch completes his physical the deal will be official and he can get to work.
The Boston Herald has more on Branch's return, with the receiver saying during the offseason that to reunite with the team would likely lead to an emotional press conference.
"That would be the best," Branch said earlier this offseason about returning. "I still talk to Tom to this day, and the crazy part is, you never lose that relationship with the guys, especially when you do something special, which is what we did in my first four years in New England.
"I still talk with half of the team. To this day, I still talk with half of the guys that were on the team with me. It's a special bond. For us to reunite, I don't know. I would probably be crying at the press conference, if it happens.
Tom Curran takes a look at the trade and wonders now that he's back, how will he help them for the remainder of the season?
Former Patriot Troy Brown tells NECN that he likes the trade, and thinks it's a great move by New England.
"I think it's going to give Tom Brady a familiar face to throw to and another great route-runner that knows this offense," said Brown. "Obviously, there's going to be some learning with some of the new plays they do have in, but Deion Branch is a smart football player. And the base of the offense is still the same. I was in the same offense going back to the early days of the late 1990s when Ray Perkins was running the offense. So everything's still the same, you call the plays the same way, just the new terminology he's got to learn. He'll be all right from here on out."
Jeff Howe of NESN feels that acquiring Branch was a best case scenario for the Patriots.
Christopher Price of WEEI.com also looks at the trade, and talks about what his return means to the Patriots and the offense.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com also looks at how Branch's return will impact the offense, and talks about what he brings to the table for them.
Wihle appearing on Dennis & Callahan as he does each week, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said that Charlie Casserly's report of an altercation between he and Randy Moss weren't accurate.
"No, certainly not. I don't know why these things come about, but they do," Brady said. "I just there's a competitive media culture. I love [Moss] as a person and a player. I don't think I ever had an altercation with a teammate ... I don't think I've seen any players in our locker room fight."
Bill Belichick also shot down those reports yesterday, saying that it was "news to me" and refuting the reports of any potential rift in the locker room.
Karen Guregian of the Herald has five questions about the "Post Randy Moss Era", with the key question being: "Will Tom Brady be better without him?"
Guregian has an other article on the subject, with Belichick and director player personnel Nick Caserio saying that Moss' departure won't drastically alter what they were already doing.
Michael Vega of the Boston Globe has an article on Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly, who has filled in admirably for Logan Mankins as the veteran continues to hold out over his contract.
Glenn Farley of the Patriot Ledger writes that Danny Woodhead is turning into a "little big man" for the Patriots.
Farley also takes a look back at the Patriots playoff game back in January against the Ravens, and writes that memory still hasn't gone away.
He also writes that the first four games of the season have been quite a journey so far for the Patriots.
That's it for this morning. We'll have more throughout the day, so be sure to keep an eye on the front page of PatsFans.com for updates.
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