OT: revisiting the Branch trade in 06

[Joey007]

This got brought up elsewhere because of Mo Sanu announcing his retirement. Saw a Seahawks fan had mentioned in a Reddit comment that they did not feel bad for us with that trade, due to when they gave us a 1st for Branch.

It got me looking back, thinking about that trade. On one hand, a 1st for Branch was great value when you consider how he performed in Seattle. Overall, he wasn’t bad. But underwhelming given their price tag.

It’s also worth noting that we replenished our receiver group in 2007 regardless with Welker, Moss, Stallworth. By the 07 season, he was not missed. He also came back when we needed him in 10-11.

On the flip side, that 2006 team was a competent receiver away from winning a Super Bowl. Hard to not think having Deion instead of butterfingers could have made the difference to winning a Super Bowl in 06. That alone was maybe not worth making this trade.

Lastly, it is fair to wonder that if we trade out of the 1st in 07 for that 08 top 10 pick from SF had we not had the extra 1st round pick. This extra pick traded out was eventually spent on Jerod Mayo, who would eventually rejoin the team post retirement, currying Kraft’s favor and and becoming HC.

Conclusion: it is very possible that last year’s Mayo debacle never happens, and that we have an extra Super Bowl ring in 06 if we did not make the Deion trade. No Thunder in the building means Vrabel probably gets hired here a year earlier, and we end up a year ahead of schedule right now.

^ This is only half serious, btw. Hope we beat the Steelers on Sunday.

 

[jboston19]

Definitely a butterfly effect there. lol. It’s nice to imagine a team without Mayo the coach but who knows how things would’ve unfurled? Interesting debate topic though.

I, too, hope we win Sunday!

 

[Brotherblues]

May have cost the 06 SB

Edit: Didn't notice you said it there towards the end. But yeah, that was the biggest thing for me about the trade. The deal sounded great from a nerdy value perspective. As far as real consequences, not so much.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

This got brought up elsewhere because of Mo Sanu announcing his retirement. Saw a Seahawks fan had mentioned in a Reddit comment that they did not feel bad for us with that trade, due to when they gave us a 1st for Branch.

It got me looking back, thinking about that trade. On one hand, a 1st for Branch was great value when you consider how he performed in Seattle. Overall, he wasn’t bad. But underwhelming given their price tag.

It’s also worth noting that we replenished our receiver group in 2007 regardless with Welker, Moss, Stallworth. By the 07 season, he was not missed. He also came back when we needed him in 10-11.

On the flip side, that 2006 team was a competent receiver away from winning a Super Bowl. Hard to not think having Deion instead of butterfingers could have made the difference to winning a Super Bowl in 06. That alone was maybe not worth making this trade.

Lastly, it is fair to wonder that if we trade out of the 1st in 07 for that 08 top 10 pick from SF had we not had the extra 1st round pick. This extra pick traded out was eventually spent on Jerod Mayo, who would eventually rejoin the team post retirement, currying Kraft’s favor and and becoming HC.

Conclusion: it is very possible that last year’s Mayo debacle never happens, and that we have an extra Super Bowl ring in 06 if we did not make the Deion trade. No Thunder in the building means Vrabel probably gets hired here a year earlier, and we end up a year ahead of schedule right now.

^ This is only half serious, btw. Hope we beat the Steelers on Sunday.

Also remember that the 1st in 2007 didn’t just net us that SF pick for Mayo; it netted us a 4th rounder in 07 that was subsequently flipped for Moss. Now of course, we could have traded any of our other picks that draft for Moss and have had no impact, since Meriweather was the only good player we got from the draft. But just more butterfly effect stuff.

If we had Branch in 06 and win, do we even feel the need to rebuild our receiving corps with Moss and Welker in 07? The cap space? A whole lot of what-ifs there.

 

[203Pat]

Cost us a super bowl.

 

[signbabybrady]

You know it's also possible we overextend to keep Branch and/or Givens, we don't fix other issues, don't win in 06 anyway, and since WR is filled we don't get Moss or Wally Pip. No Pip no Edelman and we never get dynasty 2. Bill retires with 5 rings never getting hated by anyone and we'd never have known what could have been lol.

 

[upstater1]

Trading Branch and allowing Thuney to move on are probably the only two personnel mistakes I can think of during that time. Giving the money to Mason instead of Thuney was clearly a problem. But as for Branch, he was not asking for a lot of money, and given his very sick child, and the family's monetary needs for care after he left football, I didnt blame him for asking for the money he was worth.

 

[Mike the Brit]

As I recall it, BB was furious -- rightly furious -- that Mangini had tampered with Branch on his way to the JETE and that Branch was determined to force his way to New York. So the trade to Seattle was BB's way of saying "Well, if we can't keep you, at least we'll make darned sure that the JETE don't get you".

Deion wasn't a diva or a trouble-maker, and, of course, they brought the one-legged version of him back a few years later, so my guess is that, Mangini apart, it had to do with him turning things over to his agent.

That's my memory, anyway.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Cost us a super bowl.

Probably. That's how I see it as well. Losing Rodney in 06 and the defensive collapse in Indy after scoring 34 points were the ultimate reasons they didn't get back to the SB but gotta wonder if Deion would have gotten open on that final drive.

We complain about our current WRs but Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, and a pretty much done Troy Brown was not much better. Branch would have been WR1 by far.

 

[Joey007]

Probably. That's how I see it as well. Losing Rodney in 06 and the defensive collapse in Indy after scoring 34 points were the ultimate reasons they didn't get back to the SB but gotta wonder if Deion would have gotten open on that final drive.

We complain about our current WRs but Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, and a pretty much done Troy Brown was not much better. Branch would have been WR1 by far.

Yeah. Think Deion in that room is enough to get past Indy. We were beating Chicago no matter what.

 

[TommyD4207]

Revsiiting 19 year old trades. Good ****.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Revsiiting 19 year old trades. Good ****.

Seeing how we have posters starting treads about toilet paper this was the best of the bunch.

 

[Clonamery]

Seeing how we have posters starting treads about toilet paper this was the best of the bunch.

The Branch Trade was the first Mega Thread without end. The pontifications were endless.

 

[Triumph]

Branch was an idiot to leave.

The Seahawks thought that they were getting Jerry Rice. Watching the Bills last night they reminded me of the Brady Pats WRs, There really isn't a Super Star WR on the Bills anymore where that guy has to see the ball. Its WR/TE by committee.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The Branch Trade was the first Mega Thread without end. The pontifications were endless.

Yep. Thats about the time I joined the board.

I was royally pissed off and needed to vent.

 

[TheRainMaker]

A Super Bowl was at stake. Bill should've worked out a deal with Branch for the team to repay the fines, get him back in camp and promise not to franchise tag him. Let him walk after the 2006 season. If Branch didn't cooperate, pay him or trade him. I'd rather have a Super Bowl win than trade capital for a player. Too many teams make this mistake "planning for the future" when nothing is guaranteed.

I remember flipping the pick in 2007 when Joe Staley was heavily mocked to the Pats was controversial. He turned out to be a 3x All Pro and 6 time Pro Bowl LT. Mayo in 2008 was one of those dreaded "draft risers" and turned out to be an underwhelming pick. Clady was also heavily mocked to the Pats and should've been the pick as well. He also turned out to be a 3x All Pro and 4x Pro Bowl LT. Correction: they took Brandon Merriweather with the pick from the Branch trade.

 

[signbabybrady]

A Super Bowl was at stake. Bill should've worked out a deal with Branch for the team to repay the fines, get him back in camp and promise not to franchise tag him. Let him walk after the 2006 season. If Branch didn't cooperate, pay him or trade him. I'd rather have a Super Bowl win than trade capital for a player. Too many teams make this mistake "planning for the future" when nothing is guaranteed.

That's when he started to lose it am I right?

 

[sportnik]

Horrible trade. Cost the Pats at least 1, maybe 2 Superbowls.

 

[TheRainMaker]

That's when he started to lose it am I right?

I sense the sarcasm, but both sides were being unreasonable. In the end, the trade of Branch didn't really help the team.

 

[reflexblue]

This got brought up elsewhere because of Mo Sanu announcing his retirement. Saw a Seahawks fan had mentioned in a Reddit comment that they did not feel bad for us with that trade, due to when they gave us a 1st for Branch.

It got me looking back, thinking about that trade. On one hand, a 1st for Branch was great value when you consider how he performed in Seattle. Overall, he wasn’t bad. But underwhelming given their price tag.

It’s also worth noting that we replenished our receiver group in 2007 regardless with Welker, Moss, Stallworth. By the 07 season, he was not missed. He also came back when we needed him in 10-11.

On the flip side, that 2006 team was a competent receiver away from winning a Super Bowl. Hard to not think having Deion instead of butterfingers could have made the difference to winning a Super Bowl in 06. That alone was maybe not worth making this trade.

Lastly, it is fair to wonder that if we trade out of the 1st in 07 for that 08 top 10 pick from SF had we not had the extra 1st round pick. This extra pick traded out was eventually spent on Jerod Mayo, who would eventually rejoin the team post retirement, currying Kraft’s favor and and becoming HC.

Conclusion: it is very possible that last year’s Mayo debacle never happens, and that we have an extra Super Bowl ring in 06 if we did not make the Deion trade. No Thunder in the building means Vrabel probably gets hired here a year earlier, and we end up a year ahead of schedule right now.

^ This is only half serious, btw. Hope we beat the Steelers on Sunday.

Why don't you just give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it I think that trade cost us a super bowl